


Leaf Ninja

by PureFives



Category: Naruto
Genre: Action, Action/Adventure, Adventure, Battle, F/M, Fights, Shounen, Shounen Fights
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-13 11:16:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 63,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28777407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PureFives/pseuds/PureFives
Summary: This is a story taking place in an alternate version of the Naruto world during the same time period as the story, with a few notable differences. Follow the adventures of a Leaf Genin fresh off the heels of the graduation exam.
Relationships: Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Kudos: 2





	1. Beginning

I take a seat at my desk, done with testing. All of my classmates have finished, sitting at their desks awaiting the results anxiously. I look over at the other end of the room. Specifically: two trainees that look antsier than the others. A boy with a bowl cut and ponytail, Rock Lee, nervously bounces in his seat. While next to him a girl with her hair done in two buns, Tenten, grumbles at him.

“This whole thing is a waste of time. I should have passed last year, but the Hokage had to come and personally be a hardass. I mean really, only passing the valedictorian? I was robbed! I'm not like you Lee, I actually should have passed!”

“Hey!” Lee objects. “I have been studying very hard to make up for my weak points by scoring well on the written exam! You cannot just dismiss my effort!”

Back at the front of the class, I see that the last student is up. A boy by the name of Sai. Most of the time he acts like a robot, his voice eternally monotone, spending a good portion of his time sketching in his notebook. He does have one strange point in particular though...

“Alright, that's a satisfactory Substitution Jutsu, Sai,” the teacher, Iruka Sensei says as Sai finishes his final test. “Ideally, you'd want the illusion of your body to stick around as long as possible before the log is exposed, so practice that when you have time.”

“Thanks for the tip, Sensei,” Sai replies as he pulls out a notebook. “Let me just log your critique in my journal.”

Oh? Very punny Sai. 

After a moment of silence, Iruka Sensei and Lee bust out in uncontrollable laughter. I, however, just let out a slight chuckle. Joining me is Kiba, a rough boy with a fur-lined hood. The rest of the class groans collectively at Sai's pun.

“Hoo...” Iruka Sensei exhales deeply. “You always crack me up with your jokes, Sai.”

Sai returns to his seat, face as stoic as ever despite just telling a joke.

“Well then,” Iruka sensei addresses the class. “That's everybody. Mizuki here will be passing out the results as they are graded, so just sit tight.”

Iruka Sensei goes to finish grading the tests and before long, Mizuki takes them and starts passing them out. He starts on my side of the room, coming up to Sakura, a girl with long pink hair, first.

“Nice job Sakura, you did great,” Mizuki praises her as he hands her the test results.

He approaches me next.

“Here you go, uhh...” Mizuki stumbles. “I'm sorry I must have a bad memory, what was your name again?”

“Mizuki Sensei, it's me, Kon Karagowa,” I answer. “Am I that unmemorable?”

“Uhh... Maybe? Sorry, sorry,” Mizuki quickly apologizes. “I've only been a teaching aid for a couple of months, and I've had more paperwork than student interaction. Anyway, here's your test results.”

He gives me the test packet, then moves on to the rest of the students. I open the packet and look at my test results. I'm pretty average across the field if a bit fast. Excluding my terrible Genjutsu score. I still pass, so that's what matters.

Soon, everyone has their test results.

“Well—” Iruka Sensei addresses the class again. “I'm proud to say we have a 100% pass rate, good job everyone. Just wait a bit here, and we'll be back with the team assignments.”

Iruka and Mizuki leave the room. Looking around, everyone seems anxious about their team assignments, except one group.

Shikamaru, a lazy young man with his hair up, Choji, a rather rotund young man, and Ino, a girl with long blond hair, are all sitting together. From looking at them, I get them the feeling they have... resigned to their fate.

Sasuke Uchiha, a prodigal young man from the prestigious Uchiha clan glances over Shika maru's shoulder at his test results.

“Really?” Sasuke scoffs. “There is no reason you shouldn't have scored higher than me on the written portion. Sandbagging like this is only going to cost lives in the field.”

He glares down at Shikamaru. The lazy young man struggles to bother responding.

“I don't need to hear it from you, mister prodigy,” Shikamaru replies. “Why would I bother working my ass off when ninjas like you and your brother, A.K.A., 'The greatest ninja ever' go out of your way to do everything yourselves?”

I approach feeling some tension between the two young men.

“Guys. We're all integral parts of Konoha. From the Uchihas to the Naras. We're all connected. So stop acting like twats to one another. You're right Sasuke, but it's not worth getting in an argument over. Besides, it's just test scores. I'm sure Shikamaru will get serious when his life's on the line, right?”

My attempt at mediation seems at least moderately successful, as they both give a noncommittal grunt and go their separate ways.

After a bit longer, Iruka Sensei returns to the classroom.

"Alright everybody," Iruka announces. "Here is the moment you've all been waiting for: the team assignments!"

He begins to read off the teams.

“... Team 6 is Rock Lee, Sakura Haruno, and Sai, under Gai Sensei.”

“NOOOOOOOO!” Sakura screams as she bolts up from her seat. “Why do I have to be with both the weirdos? I wanted to be on the same team as Sasuke! This is the worst thing that could happen!”

Leaving Sakura to her hysterics, Iruka continues.

“Team 7 is Kiba Inuzuka, Kon Karagowa, and Sasuke Uchiha, under Kakashi Sensei.”

“Groovy,” I smirk, satisfied that I got a good team. Kiba and Sasuke are both pretty skilled. Kiba gives me a thumbs-up, while Sasuke just eyes us both. He doesn't look visibly disappointed, at least.

“Team 8 is Hinata Hyuuga, Shino Aburame, and Tenten, under Kurenai Sensei,” Iruka continues.

“...and finally, Team 10 is Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Choji Akimichi, under Asuma Sensei. Everyone come get these sheets up here, they'll tell you where and when your teams will meet.”

Everyone comes up and takes the sheets. Kakashi Sensei wants to meet me in this classroom tomorrow at 0700. Iruka dismisses everyone, and they begin to leave. I see Iruka go over to Sai.

“Nice job today, Sai,” he says with a beaming smile. “Let's go to Ichiraku's to celebrate.”

One by one, the classroom empties. I leave everyone to their devices while I head towards the market district.

My Uncle's already going to prepare a celebratory meal, so I don't need groceries. What I'm looking for are ninja tools. I've got a pretty good supply of Ryo, so I want to stock up. I'm officially a Genin tomorrow, so I want to prepare. 

I head into the weapon shop, looking at the wares. They've got every basic tool I can imagine, from shuriken to kunai to explosive tags and wires.

“Mom? I have to work the store today of all days?” I hear from the back. “Fine, fine, geez.”

I see Tenten come up behind the counter.

“Huh? Kon? Are you looking for something?” she asks. 

“I was looking to stock up for tomorrow,” I tell her. “Who knows what our Sensei is gonna throw at us, you know? I was thinking of some trap materials: explosives, wires, that kind of thing. Maybe a short sword as a main weapon or something. Do you have any recommendations?”

“Well...” Tenten muses. “A short sword is gonna cut into your budget quite a bit if you want decent quality, I don't think you could afford anything else if you bought it. As for trap materials, we've got plenty of wire and explosive tags. They're usually the go-to for that kind of thing.”

“What about another weapon?” I ask. “Like a Kyoketsu-shoge. Could I afford that and the trap stuff?”

“Not quite, but...” Tenten thinks to herself. “It's a bit cheaper than a sword. I guess I could get you a discount. But if you do, you'll owe me big time.” she smirks. “I'm thinking, running errands for me?”

“I'll do it, thanks Tenten!” I exclaim. She basks in my adoration for a bit.

“Yeah, yeah. Here's your stuff,” Tenten hands me a bag while taking the money I offer her.

“I'll just track you down when I need your help, so go on home for now.”

“Thanks again Tenten, I mean it,” She did help me out, so I insist on the praise.

“Stop, stop, you're embarrassing me,” she replies. “I'm going to get my money back out of you, you know?”

I leave the weapon shop, planning to swing by Kiba's house on the way home. I find him outside his house playing with his dog, Akamaru.

“Oh, hey. What's up, Kon?” he looks up at me approaching. 

“You excited?” I ask. “What do you think Kakashi Sensei is gonna have us do tomorrow?”

“Hell yeah, dude,” Kiba smiles and gives me another thumbs up. “The Sensei usually have some kind of test for their teams, but we don't get to know what it is until it happens.” 

Kiba puts his hand on his chin. “Not gonna lie, though. I am a bit disappointed that I don't have a girl on my team. It's not so bad though. We get to hang out, and Sasuke is the strongest from our class. Speaking of which, what do you think about Sasuke, Kon?”

“He's strong,” I reply. “I'm glad he's on our team. I wouldn't have minded someone less stuck-up though. Or a girl, yeah.”

“Heh,” Kiba shakes his head. “I get it though. If my sister was considered to be in the running for next Hokage by everyone in the village, I might have a complex too. Not to mention he's got quite the clan name to live up to.” 

Kiba begins the trek into his house. “Well, it's about time I got in for dinner, it's getting late. See you tomorrow, dude.”

“Later Kiba,” I wave as he walks inside. I have dinner to get to, but it's only fair that I go see my other teammate as well. I head in the direction of the Uchiha compound. As I arrive, I realize I don't know where Sasuke lives. Some Uchiha are roaming around, doing their police work. 

I head towards the closest Uchiha. “Excuse me!” I call as the man turns around. “I'm looking for Sasuke Uchiha's house, can you help me find it?”

The man snorts. “And just what do you want of my son this close to curfew? Shouldn't you be getting home? I'm sure whatever it is can wait until morning.”

“Sorry, sir,” I apologize. “We're on the same team, and I wanted to talk to him, maybe plan out some ideas for when we meet Kakashi Sensei tomorrow,” I explain.

“Kakashi, huh,” Sasuke's father, Fugaku, rubs his chin. “There might be time for a short conversation, but I don't think you'll have time to hash out any plans. Feel free to follow me though, I am heading home. Just don't stick around too long.”

I follow Fugaku to his house. When I arrive, Fugaku calls into the house. 

“Sasuke!” he shouts. “Your teammate wants to see you!” Fugaku motions for me to wait as he heads in. Moments later, Sasuke comes out.

“Kon?” he asks. “What are you here this late for? It's nearly dinner time. Could something not wait until tomorrow?”

“Sorry for losing track of time, I was talking with Kiba too,” I explain. “I wanted to see if we could come up with a plan for when we meet Kakashi Sensei tomorrow.”

Sasuke smirks. “Great enthusiasm there Kon, but there's honestly not much we can do right now. He could administer any type of test he wants, and we don't know anything about him. We certainly don't have time to gather information. I say we just take it as it comes. That's part of being a ninja too. You should head home and eat dinner. I've got dinner here myself in a bit.”

“Alright then. I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Sasuke,” I tell him as he heads back inside.

“See you,” he waves.

It's nearly curfew so I rush back home, still carrying all that equipment I bought. As I get to my house and head inside, I hear your uncle.

“Kon!” he yells from further inside. “What were you thinking? Dinner's been ready for nearly an hour!”

I'd love to explain the situation to my uncle, but I have to act before it's too late. I set my stuff down, and run into the kitchen where I see it. My uncle's gyoza. The best of the best. I start chowing down.

“Honestly,” my uncle laments. “All this ninja business. I didn't get it when it was my sister, and I still don't get it now.”

Eventually, I get my fill of gyoza and start to settle down. “Sorry, Uncle Keiji.” 

I explain everything that happened this evening while he listens intently.

“I see,” Keiji says as I finish my story. “I don't know much about all this, but it sounds like things are going great. Your mother never really let me in on what she did, but I'm always here to listen if you need to talk, you know.”

It's been a long day, and I'm tired. I head up to my room. I think about things as I drift off to sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a big day, too. I'll have to be ready. The last thing I think of as I drift off to sleep is that I feel like I can depend on my teammates. I know it'll all work out somehow.

...

To think this morning, I had worried about running late. I slept in nearly until my 0700 hit time and had to rush to the academy as fast as I could, yet an hour after I my arrival my Sensei still hadn't. My teammates seem irritated as well. Kiba is tapping his finger on the desk repeatedly and his dog Akamaru sits on his head, wearing a similarly irritating expression to his owner. Sasuke isn't doing any fidgeting, but I can tell from his glare at the doorway that he's angry.

I break the silence. “So guys, while we're waiting why don't we tell each other what all we can do, maybe do some strategizing?”

“Can't hurt, I guess,” Kiba says as he stops tapping. “I'm sure you remember, but the Inuzuka clan uses ninja dogs trained from birth as companions in battle. By teaming up with them, we can track anything with a trail. As for combat, we've got a couple of unique Jutsu that can be used to put the pressure on opponents, and keep us at pretty good range too.”

With Kiba's piece said, Sasuke resigns himself to spill the beans.

“Alright, it makes sense,” he admits. “We'll pool our talents and brainstorm some tactics. As for me, you know from the academy that I'm more than competent at most things. I also know some basic fire ninjutsu. Our clan does have the Sharingan, but I haven't unlocked it yet myself.”

After Sasuke finishes, he turns to me.

“Well, Kon?” he asks. “What do you provide to the team?”

“I've got good speed, my taijutsu is solid, and I've got a penchant for explosive tags. Or traps in general, I guess, but it's cooler if there are explosions involved,” I explain. “Speaking of, anyone short tags or wire? I bought some extras yesterday.”

Kiba declines, saying that's not his thing. Surprisingly enough, Sasuke takes me up on my offer for wire, since he didn't seem to have any.

“All in all, not bad,” Sasuke says as he puts the spool of wire in his pouch. “Kiba can always know where the enemy is, Kon can prepare some subterfuge, and I can provide the major damage if need be.”

As we talk, the door opens. A man with white hair and a mask walks in. His headband tilted to cover one eye.

“Talking strategy already, huh?” he asks. “Maybe this won't be half as bad as I thought.”

“We sure were, we've got to make sure our team is prepared for anything,” I explain. “Are you Kakashi Sensei, then?”

“That I am,” he answers. “Come follow me to the roof boys, we'll talk there.”

We all get up to follow Kakashi Sensei. I can tell that Kiba barely manages to stop himself from blowing up in his face about his tardiness. We all get to the roof and sit down on a bench while Kakashi Sensei leans on the railing. It's a beautiful clear day with hardly a cloud in the sky, giving me a great view of Mount Hokage, with its five stone faces.

Kakashi Sensei speaks up. “Well let's begin by introducing yourselves. Your likes, dislikes, dreams for the future... things like that.”

“Why don't you introduce yourself, Sensei?” I ask. It seems only fair.

“Oh, Me?” he responds. “Well, my name is Kakashi Hatake, and I don't want to tell you about my likes or dislikes. Or dreams for the future. I have plenty of hobbies.”

We scowl at his is non-answer.

“Well then, now it's your turn. Let's start from the right,” he says, pointing to me.

“Well, my mom and dad died during the nine-tails attack when I was still really little, but my mom was a ninja. She figured putting her life on the line for the sake of the village was worth it, and so that's what I'll do. Put myself in the line of fire to keep my friends and family safe. That and it's REALLY fun blowing things up,” I explain.

“Admirable,” Kakashi replies. “And what about you?” he points to Kiba.

“Heh. Well, I like dogs,” Kiba says jokingly. “Shocker, I know. My dream is... to become Hokage!”

“Pfft...” Sasuke stifles a laugh. “Sorry Kiba, you're a skilled ninja, but your competition is so far out of your league, you don't even realize.”

“Hey!” Kiba barks at him. “You want to say that to me again?”

“Guys, can we not do this right now?” I interject. “Not really the time. Let's not kill each other over being Hokage while we're all still Genin.”

Kiba takes my advice and backs off.

“Kon's right, you know,” Kakashi speaks up. “You've all got a long road ahead of you before you can truly measure your worth as ninja. Alright Sasuke, you're the last one.”

“I...” Sasuke starts. “I want to try and surpass my brother. If he becomes Hokage, then I'll have to be greater than the Hokage.”

“Talk about your lofty goals,” mutters Kiba.

Kakashi addresses the group. “Well now that's out of the way, we can get ready for our very first training exercise.”

“What will we be doing?” I ask.

“I'm going to be your opponent in a test,” Kakashi explains. “A test that all the Genin teams take to determine who stays, and who gets sent back to the academy.”

“Bring it on,” I boast. “Does that mean if we beat you, You have to go back to the academy?”

“Confident, aren't we?” Kakashi Sensei replies. “I was going to allot all of tomorrow for this, but I think we can get it done today. Save us all some time.” Kakashi hands out some directions. “Meet me here in one hour. Bring all your ninja tools. Also, you might not want to grab lunch, you're going to be exerting yourselves quite hard.”

Kakashi gets up to leave, and my teammates get up too.

“We were already prepared for this,” states Sasuke.

“Yeah!” Kiba chimes in. “We've got this in the bag!”

Me and my teammates head out to the site, a training ground on the edge of the forest, and arrive with plenty of time to spare, not that we expect Kakashi Sensei to show up on time. 

I mention my plan to Kiba to set up traps and have him lead Kakashi Sensei into them.

“Not a bad idea, Kon,” he responds. “If you're concerned about us falling victim though, just prick your finger and get a little blood on the tags. Akamaru will be able to sniff it out and avoid it.”

I go about the forest, setting up a handful of traps as inconspicuous as possible. By the time I finish, Kakashi Sensei is only just arriving. Half an hour late.

“Looks like everyone's here,” he remarks. “So here are the terms of the test: You have until 1300, in two hours to grab these bells from me.”

After setting an alarm on a stump, he pulls out two bells and attaches them to his waist.

“Whoever doesn't get a bell by the time the alarm goes off, gets tied up to those logs,” he points toward three training logs. “They will then have to watch as everyone else eats, then they'll be failed and sent back to the academy. Any questions?”

“Wait, only two of us can pass?” I ask.

“That's right,” Kakashi nods. “Now to see what you're made of. Will you all work together to get both bells? Or will you look out for number one, since there's no guarantee you'll get one of the bells?”

“Now...” as everyone gets into fighting poses, he pulls out a book and starts reading it. “You can go ahead and start at any time.”

“Let's go, guys!” I call out. “We can worry about who gets the bells later, we're not getting any from a Jonin unless we work together!”

Me, Kiba, and Sasuke all close in on Kakashi Sensei.

“Of course I know that,” Sasuke remarks, prepping his kunai.

“You didn't think I'd abandon you guys, did you?” Kiba asks.

Kakashi looks up, almost surprised. “Not even gonna attack me one at a time, huh?” He puts the book away. “So much for catching up on my reading, I guess.”

I immediately form a hand seal. Focusing my chakra, I make a clone. It's just an illusion, but that's all it needs to be. 

Sasuke moves in with his kunai, doing several passes at Kakashi, but the Jonin is too fast. He merely leans out of the way, avoiding every hit.

With his dodging, he manages to get Sasuke in Kiba's way. Every time Sasuke takes a swipe, Kakashi leads him into the path of Kiba's attacks, forcing him to back off.

Meanwhile, I put my plan into effect, my clone runs towards Kakashi, feigning an attack. As it approaches, Kakashi glances over.

“Is that illusion supposed to accomplish something?” he asks as he lets the clone pass harmlessly through.

“No,” I reply. “But the explosive might.”

Kakashi notices the kunai I had thrown behind the clone, and the explosive tag on it. Sasuke jumps back, and Kakashi leaps when the kunai hits the ground and explodes. He lands on a nearby branch. 

“Not a bad move,” Kakashi notes. “You still left me far too many options for that to work, though.”

The three of us look at each other. “What's the plan from here?” Kiba asks.

“Just like we planned, Kiba,” I tell him.

He nods, and Akamaru hops down alongside him. He feeds Akamaru a pill and makes a hand seal. 

“Here it comes, Sensei,” Kiba announces. “My strongest Jutsu! Beast Human Clone!”

Akamaru transforms into a copy of Kiba and both of them take on a more feral appearance. They both rush towards a legitimately surprised Kakashi, who jumps around the trees to evade.

I follow and catch one of the wires that I set up earlier. I pull it as Kiba and Akamaru push Kakashi towards a tree with explosives set. 

As Kakashi lands on the branch, his foot catches my wire and the trap goes off, causing a huge explosion. A few seconds pass, and I don't see anything.

I brace myself and scan my surroundings. “Do you smell him anywhere, Kiba?”

Kiba and Akamaru sniff around. “His smell disappeared right after the explosion started, probably a Substitution Jutsu. He should be nearby but I don't smell him right now, keep your eyes peeled.”

The three of us stay vigilant, but by the time we notice him, it's too late.

I hear a voice from underneath me. “Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique!”

Kakashi's hand reaches up from the ground around my ankle and pulls me down, burying me up to my neck.

“That should do it,” Kakashi says as he climbs out of the ground. “Now I won't have to deal with those traps of yours.”

My teammates look nervous. They're running out of ideas. I notice some singeing on Kakashi Sensei's clothes, indicating that he only just gotten out of the explosion. If I expand the affected area, it might catch him before he escapes. I'm unable to move right now though, so setting off the traps isn't an option. Unless...

“Keep going Kiba, we can still do the plan!” I shout from my hole in the ground. “We've almost got him, you don't need me!”

I take a glance at Sasuke and he understands. He takes off after Kiba, who continues his assault on Kakashi, pushing him towards another tree. 

“You can keep trying, but the result will be the same,” Kakashi says as he dodges Kiba and Akamaru's swipes. “Assuming you can even still set any of these off anyway.”

As he says that, he lands on the tree I had rigged to explode. 

“Now!” Kiba shouts as he and Akamaru jump back.

I see Sasuke make some of the fastest hand seals I've ever seen and unleash his Jutsu.

“Fire Release! Fireball Jutsu!” Sasuke shouts as he releases a giant ball of flame on the tree Kakashi is currently on.

Kakashi barely has time to react in surprise at Sasuke knowing that high level of a technique before the flames engulf the tree and cause the largest explosion yet.

Kiba dives into the smoke immediately afterward, ignoring the heat and debris, led by his nose. He comes out the other side holding two bells triumphantly.

“Yes!” he shouts as he tosses one to Sasuke. “We did it! How do you like that, Sensei?”

Kakashi emerges from the smoke with singe marks, but he's relatively unharmed. “Good job. That was definitely worth a passing grade.”

“Yes! That was awesome! We did it, guys!” I shout, still in my hole in the ground. “Congratulations on passing Kiba, Sasuke. I mean it, nice job. So uh... you think someone could let me out of here?”

Kakashi pulls me up, then the two of us start walking toward the logs.

“Wait!” says Kiba and Sasuke simultaneously.

“Take this, you earned it more than I did,” Sasuke says as he forces the bell into my hands.

“Hey!” Kiba objects. “I was going to do that! Fine, you take this!” he says as he forces his bell into Sasuke's hands.

“What? No, you take it!” Sasuke says as he pushes it back towards Kiba.

The two continue to push the bell towards each other, while I and Kakashi Sensei look on.

“Heh,” I hear a slight laugh from my Sensei. “You can stop now, boys. I won't be failing anybody. You all pass.”

I stop thinking for a second. “What? Why?”

Even through his mask, I can tell Kakashi is smiling.

“The point of this training was to try and foster divisiveness among the group. Since one of you wouldn't pass, you would all look out for yourselves. But not you guys. From the very beginning, you realized that the only way you would ever get the bells from me was by working as a team. There was no hesitation. You all worked seamlessly together and never worked for your benefit, but the benefit of the team. I honestly never expected a team of fresh Genin to work together like that. Even now, you keep saying how others should pass. You all passed with flying colors. I look forward to being your Jonin instructor.”

“Yeah!” Kiba shouts as he puts his arms around me and Sasuke's necks. “You hear that guys? We all pass! This is great!”

“Yeah, yeah, I heard,” says Sasuke as he pushes Kiba's arm off, trying to fight the giant grin off his face.

“So can we eat now?” I ask.

“Sure thing, guys,” Kakashi answers. “Come on, I brought enough for everyone.”

We all sit down to eat lunch, and Kakashi Sensei addresses us. “Since we got this done today, you all have tomorrow off before we start on missions. So enjoy it. While we're here though, feel free to ask me anything. I might be able to give you a bit of an idea of what being a ninja is like.”

“Sensei,” I speak up. “Can we get some missions that aren't just like chores and stuff that they usually have new Genin do?”

“I'll see what I can do,” Kakashi assures me. “We'll be doing low-level missions for a while, but I know you guys could hold your own on a C rank mission, so I'll keep my eye out for a suitable one.”

“What was your first day with your Jonin instructor like?” Kiba asks.

“Heh,” Kakashi laughs. “We did this same test. It's something of a tradition, I guess. My team didn't do nearly as well as yours did, though.”

“Mind telling us why you're always late?” Sasuke asks.

“Well, that involves my old team as well,” Kakashi responds, looking nostalgic. “but I think I'll save that story for another time.”

We all chat a bit more before we finish eating. Kakashi Sensei and Sasuke head off, while Kiba sticks around to help me take care of the remaining traps.

Afterward, we head back home as well. I can't help but smile. Me and my teammates had worked together flawlessly to show our instructor what we could do. A pretty great accomplishment, but this is only the beginning. We've still got quite the road ahead of us. Yet somehow thinking that only gets me more and more excited.

...

I wake up and stretch my arms out. It's a beautiful morning, and I've got the day off from ninja duties. After rolling out of bed and dressing myself, I hear a loud thump outside my window. I walk over to check it out.

As I open the window and look out, I'm met with a kunai sticking out of the wall. The handle has a note on it that reads: "You're working today."

I head downstairs and find my Uncle at the table, with breakfast laid out.

“Morning, Kon,” he greets me. “You got any plans for your day off? Maybe hanging out with a friend or some ninja training? If you don't have anything going on, you could always stick around and give me a hand at the restaurant.”

I think to myself as I munch on some toast. Tenten probably expects me to show up and help out. After finishing my breakfast and saying goodbye to my uncle, I head over to the weapon shop to help out Tenten like I had promised.

As I approach, I find Tenten standing out in front of the shop, and a 'Closed' sign on the door.

“Hey, Kon!” Tenten calls out. “We're closed for the day so we can restock. I need you to come to help me get the new stock from the supplier on the other side of the village.”

I follow her to a large building with several smokestacks sticking up out of it. To the left of the building is a large shed.

“We already paid the supplier,” Tenten explains. “So we're just transporting the goods.”

She opens the door of the shed, and inside I see kunai and shuriken together in belts, and stacked nearly to the ceiling.

“At our shop, we usually make the larger weapons ourselves,” Tenten goes on. “But when it comes to kunai and shuriken, they make them in bulk here. We've got about ten thousand shuriken and five thousand kunai to move today, so let's get to work.”

An idea crosses my mind. “Hey, why don't we load ourselves up with as many weapons as we can carry? It'd make for good training.”

“Uhh... feel free to do that,” Tenten replies. “I'm just going to take some in a cart here. If you want to use this as training though, more power to you.”

I load myself up with strips of the weapons wrapped around every conceivable area I can, then carry several belts in my arms. I must be packing over a hundred pounds. 

Taking off, I try to keep pace with Tenten and her cart. Almost immediately I start to feel the pressure on my legs from carrying so much weight, but I keep pressing on. The hills, in particular, are rough, whether keeping my balance going down or struggling my way up.

About halfway through town though, I notice a familiar face.

I see Rock Lee, albeit with a new haircut and outfit. He's walking around on his hands through the village, and from the look of his hands, he's been at it quite a while. I keep looking in Lee's direction until I catch his eye, then give him a wave.

He sees me carrying the incredible amount of weapons and smiles, shooting a thumbs-up back at me before continuing his training.

As I keep heading towards the weapon shop, I decide to ask Tenten: “Does Lee do that a lot?”

“All the time,” she sighs. “He's always giving himself ridiculous training and then punishing himself with more training when he inevitably fails. That can't be healthy.”

We eventually reach the weapon shop and unload the weapons. After the immediate wave of relief from unloading the weight, I start feeling sore all over. Now done with the first load, we begin heading back towards the storehouse.

“Yeah, I think I'll use a cart too,” I admit. “Don't want to strain myself too much, or I'll get hurt.”

“Good idea,” Tenten says. “After all, you're not going to be quite done even once we get all the weapons in the store. We've still got to stock them.”

The two of us continue our errand, loading the carts full of weapons and hauling them back and forth across town. Three hours after we began, there are only enough weapons left in the shed for one cartload. Though two people working together might be able to carry them... Resisting the urge to make my suggestion to Tenten, I tell her to go start stocking while I take care of this last cart.

Sometime later, after bringing the cart back, I return to the weapon shop to find Tenten inside.

“Alright, Kon,” she begins to instruct. “Now we need to stack all of the new stock on the shelves neatly. Shuriken can go straight up there, but we need to wrap the kunai handles first. Let's do that now.”

Tenten gets all the binding for the kunai handles out and I two start to wrap them before placing them on the shelves.

It's a bit strange. I didn't expect to work in complete silence like this. Small talk should do the trick, an obvious topic coming to mind.

“So, Tenten,” I start. “How did it go with your new team? What's it like?”

It looks as if my question destroys something that was restraining Tenten. She whips around and releases a torrent of words.

“My team?!” She starts. “Oh god, you just have no idea. I figured that I'd kind of have to take a more leading role, being older and all you know? But they had to go and stick me with two gloomy weirdos that never talk of their own accord. It's like they've never asserted their opinion in their lives. Hinata looks like she's always focusing on something behind you, and that's not just a byakugan joke. Shino, don't get me started on him. It's like one day he just up and went 'Welp, I'm in the clan that uses bugs, I better wear a trench coat and sunglasses all the time and make sure no one could misconstrue me as frien—”

The ranting catches me completely off guard, and I have trouble keeping up. She clearly needs to get this off her chest, so I let her keep ranting.

“—dly, and I know she's supposedly a new Jonin,” Tenten continues. “But would it kill her to show some assertiveness? I'm supposed to be one of her students! I shouldn't have to take charge of my teammates because she doesn't want to get them mad at her! Getting these two to answer me with anything more than a nod is like pulling teeth!”

She keeps going for a while, mentioning every little thing that went on yesterday that's bothering her. The two of us keep working the entire time, eventually finishing the kunai and moving on to the shuriken. Tenten keeps up her rant all the while.

“Man...” she eventually winds down. “Your team sounds way better, Kon. You, Kiba, and Sasuke. What I wouldn't give to be on your team.”

“I'm sure they'll come around,” I respond. “I mean, my team's not as great as you think. Kiba and Sasuke are always on each other about everything. Akamaru has a cooler head than them. We're already working with Sasuke better than I expected though, so you just have to give them a chance and they might surprise you.”

Tenten thinks about my statement. “I guess it was only one day. You're right. I'm sure if I keep working with them, they'll get some initiative to make a great team.”

As the two of us finish stacking the last of the shuriken, she turns to me. “Though I don't think I have it in me to make as good a mediator as you, Kon. Anyway, thanks for the help. I don't think I'll drag you out here anymore, but if you want to help again, we could always use a hand.”

It's mid-afternoon now. I still have some time left in the day. Maybe get in some practice with different weapons? Come to think of it, Tenten does know a lot about weapons and traps, she could out a ton.

“Hey, Tenten! Do you think we could train together? I need some work with my new weapon, and you'd be able to help me out a lot.”

“Heh,” Tenten smirks. “You probably think you're pretty smart asking me, huh? Well, you're right. There isn't a weapon I don't know how to use. I'll tag along.”

The two of us head to the training grounds at the edge of the village. She pulls out a staff and gets into a fighting pose.

“Your kyoketsu-shoge,” she starts. “Its greatest strength is its ability to disarm your opponent. The basic idea is to be able to wrap the cord around your opponent's weapon, catch it with the hook, and then pull the weapon right out of their hands. You also have the option to try it on their limbs, to get them off balance or occupy one of their arms.”

I pull out my kyoketsu-shoge and swing it around a bit to get a feel for the weight. I have plenty of practice with throwing weapons, but a weapon I have to control after I throw it is new to me. I start tossing the weapon out a few times as practice, intending to have Tenten deflect it with her staff. After a few throws, I think I have it down alright.

“What's with those half-assed tosses?” Tenten asks. “Come at me like you mean it!”

Right afterward, I decide to put my plan into action. I dash to the side to get a better angle, then toss the weapon at Tenten's leg. It wraps around just as I had intended, and I pull towards myself as it hooks.

“Woah—” Tenten says in surprise, but just for a moment. Instead of fighting to keep balance, she goes along with the cord and closes the distance between me in a flash. She swings her staff and knocks me on my back before I can react.

“Good, that's the idea, Kon,” she offers slight praise. “But you're going to want to be careful of opponents that aren't afraid to get right up on you. You're not exactly strong enough to drag them around right now. You might want to stick to using it on opponents that are facing the opposite direction, for now at least.”

“Thanks for the tip, Tenten,” I tell her as she helps me up. “Let's try again.”

Me and Tenten continue our spar against each other for a while, both of us ending up knocking the other down more than a few times. By the time the sun is setting, exhaustion settles in. 

“You're not doing bad, Kon,” says Tenten as we both put away our weapons. “You're really quick on your feet. I didn't get any time to rest at all.”

It's nearly curfew, so we both head home. I arrive to find Uncle with dinner ready on the table.

“Welcome back,” he says. “Did you enjoy your day off?” 

“I had a good time,” I tell Uncle as I sit down and begin eating. “I helped Tenten with her parent's shop, and then we got some pretty good training afterward.”

My uncle looks up from his food. “You spent the day with a girl? You're a much earlier bloomer than your mother, that's for sure! Haha! I don't think she talked to a man alone until she was twenty-five!”

My uncle continues to laugh nostalgically. 

“What was Mom like?” I decide to ask. “She didn't make you chaperon her dates with Dad, did she?”

My uncle busts out laughing even harder. “No, no,” he eventually manages to say.

“She did stick to me like glue when she was younger, though,” he explains. “Our parents died when she was very young, so I was all she had. Our family never had any ninjas, but she had some potential with chakra, so they let her into the academy. I worked hard to support her, so she could become something great, you know. She was still incredibly shy, though. Any time she could, she would be spending her time with me. And if it wasn't me, she was always sticking to her instructors. She didn't have many friends. She came around eventually, though.”

“What about my father?” I ask. I've honestly never heard more than a casual mention of him.

“About that...” my uncle goes on. “I'm afraid I only met him a couple of times. I didn't know him very well. He and your mother hit it off real quick after they met. It was scarcely over a year between then and you being born. All I knew about him was that he was a ninja from some other village. Apparently had it rough, since his clan was known for some kekky gekky bloodline thing, and he didn't have it. He must not have been getting any respect back home, cause he up and moved here and took your mother's name real quick. Didn't seem like a bad guy, though.”

Kekkei Genkai. The term's mention immediately struck my curiosity. “Wait, uncle. Do you know which clan he was from?”

“Sorry, Kon,” he apologizes. “Afraid I don't. Never mentioned it to me. I suppose you could ask around for the files or some such. I don't know how any of that ninja business works, myself.”

I help Uncle clean up the kitchen. “Thanks for everything, Uncle,” I tell him.

He smiles at me. “Anytime, Kon. Now get to bed. You've got a big day tomorrow.”

I follow my uncle's advice and head upstairs. I make sure all my equipment is laid out, as I'm supposed to be up bright and early for my first mission tomorrow. Not that I expect Kakashi Sensei to arrive on time.

Despite my anxiousness, I'm able to fall asleep fairly quickly. The night before my first mission is graced with a night of peaceful, uninterrupted sleep.


	2. Land of the Waves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our hero sets off for the Land of Waves and his first real mission.

Moving silently, I approach a small grove. The radio in my ear crackles to life.

“This is Kiba,” I hear. “The target is in this area. Setting up a perimeter.”

“Roger,” Sasuke responds. “Kon, move in for capture on Sensei's command.”

I ready myself. “Now!” Kakashi signals. I dive in and grab the target: a very ornery cat with a ribbon on its ear, mewling and struggling to get free. The rest of my team approaches. 

“Ribbon confirmed,” Sasuke states. “We've got a positive ID on the target.”

“Nice work,” Kakashi comments. “Mission accomplished, guys. Let's head back and get ready for our next one.”

Kiba complains. “Let me guess, we're going to be doing someone's gardening?”

“Be careful what you wish for Kiba,” I warn. “A normal mission could turn into a disaster if we aren't ready. For now, honing our skills through mundane missions lets us practice for the real thing. Besides, you could always be carrying the cat.”

Kiba keeps grumbling. “Where's our real mission you promised, Sensei?”

“Well, I'm pretty sure I can trust you guys,” Kakashi Sensei responds. “What do you say we go get a C rank mission right now?”

“Finally!” Kiba exclaims, eyes sparkling. 

Though ever stoic, Sasuke has an excited look in his eyes. My team (plus cat) take off towards the main hall.

It's been a few days since our team's been doing missions, but they've been glorified chores. I did ask Kakashi where I could find out about my father, which he gave me directions to the village's files, but my father had his clan name taken away entirely and kept moving around between a few villages before settling down here, so no one has all the information. With that trail at a dead end, I had decided to let it be for now. I have more pressing matters.

We arrive at the main hall and return the cat to its owner, the Fire Lord's wife, who pays the mission fee. My team approaches a table where the Fifth and Iruka sit, distributing missions.

“Lord Jiraiya, shouldn't you be wearing your hat?” Kakashi comments to the Hokage as we approach.

The Fifth Hokage, Jiraiya, a giant of a man with even more giant hair, laughs. “Are you serious, Kakashi? That ugly thing doesn't even fit over my hair. Now, your team is here to get a new mission, right? We've got this one here for babysitting an elder's son...”

I stay silent and manage to get my hand over Kiba's mouth just before he can make a dumb outburst.

“Actually, Lord Jiraiya,” Kakashi Sensei interrupts. “I promised my team that our next mission would be C rank. I think they're ready.”

“Oh really now?” The Fifth raises his eyebrow.

Just before he can continue, a figure appears next to him. I recognize the mask and cloak, ANBU. This operative is fairly short, though. They must be young. The ANBU agent leans down and whispers into Lord Jiraiya's listening ear.

“Hmm...,” I hear him mumble to the agent. “He just won't get it through his thick skull, will he?”

The Fifth stands and motions for the ANBU agent to follow him.

He speaks to Iruka as he leaves. “I've got business at the Hyuuga compound to take care of. Give these guys their C rank mission.”

With that, they leave, and we all turn to Iruka.

“Here's a mission we just got in,” he explains. “Bodyguard duty and escort for a bridge-builder to the Land of Waves. Come on in, Tazuna!”

As Iruka calls him, an old man enters the room. He takes a huge swig of his drink before eyeing my team.

“Hah?” he grunts. “I'm going to have to trust my life to these brats?”

“That's right, sir. Pleased to meet you,” I greet him. “We have our Jonin instructor with us, so you don't have anything to worry about.”

Quiet until now, Sasuke finally speaks. “This is the most elite team of Genin to come out of the academy. No others are more suitable for a C rank mission.”

“Is that so,” remarks Tazuna. “Well then, let's get a move on.”

After getting ready, our team meets Tazuna at the village gate and heads off down the road. I decide to make conversation during the walk.

“So, Sensei,” I start. “How do I get to know my chakra nature?”

Kakashi responds bluntly, “Before you worry about learning some dangerous jutsu, you should work on your chakra control. Anyone who set out on learning elemental techniques before getting the basics down, I'd call irresponsible.”

Sasuke furrows his brow.

“We'll address it for sure,” Sensei goes on. “But only once I think you're ready.”

“Hey old man,” Kiba blurts out. “What's your country like? I've never left the Fire Country.”

“Old man?” Tazuna scoffs. “Kids these days have no respect. My country wouldn't interest you anyways. The people are poor, and there's nothing there to see.”

With that dismissal, the conversation dies down. We all go on walking in silence for a while.

...

As I walk, I pass a puddle that sticks out as strange. Sure enough, only moments afterward I hear the sound of chains. Our team turns to see Kakashi Sensei enveloped by two ninja's weapons. Our entire team freezes for a moment as I witness the ninja's weapon tear Kakashi Sensei to shreds.

“One down,” I hear them say through their masks.

Snapping out of it, I shout to my teammates. “Defensive positions, guard the client!”

My directions bring my teammates back to reality as they pull their weapons and back into formation with us around Tazuna. The two ninjas begin to approach our formation, dragging their chain weapon behind them. 

A plan forms in my mind as they approach. "Let's split them up!" I shout.

My teammates nod and take off towards the two ninjas. I pull out some kunai that I had attached wire to earlier and throw them at the chain.

The wires tangle around the chain and pull taut as the kunai are embedded in a tree behind them. The chain itself pulls taut as the two ninjas get stuck, unable to approach any further.

Before Sasuke or Kiba can get any hits on them, they release the chains from their gauntlets and free themselves. They rush around in an attempt at me and Tazuna while both Kiba and Sasuke turn to intercept. 

I draw my kyoketsu-shoge. I've practiced for this. I throw it out towards the one on the left, making him move to dodge, before yanking it right and catching the leg of the other one.

This maneuver gives Kiba a perfect opening to smash the left one into the ground as he dodges. Sasuke takes advantage of the right one's decreased mobility to kick him in the face, dropping him to the ground as well.

Just as the two start to get up again, a figure appears and knocks them both unconscious.

“Kakashi Sensei!” Kiba calls out.

“Hoo...” Tazuna exhales deeply. “I'm saved.”

“What'd we tell you, Tazuna?” I boast.

“I guess I did underestimate you, kids,” Tazuna admits.

“We could have finished the entire matter ourselves,” Sasuke adds.

After tying up the two ninjas Kakashi replies, “I don't doubt it. But I had to make sure they were still in a position to talk. I had to find out who they were after. I had to find out if they were after us, or you.”

I notice Tazuna start to sweat, “What are you getting at?”

“When you put in your application, you requested standard protection from robbers and highwaymen,” Kakashi continues. “You didn't mention there was ninja after you. If we knew, we would have staffed differently and charged for the cost of a B rank mission. I'm sure you have your reasons, but this is beyond the scope of a C rank mission.”

“We can handle it, Sensei,” I tell him. “Look how we took care of those guys. Though, we really should let them know back at the village so they can bill for a B rank mission.”

“Wait!” Tazuna exclaims. “We can't afford a B rank mission!”

“I think at the very least, you owe us an explanation,” Kakashi tells him. “If you don't we'll have to end this mission.”

“Alright,” Tazuna begins. “I'll tell you. The one who wants me dead, his name is Gato.”

Gato. He's the head of a huge shipping company and an extremely wealthy man. Everyone had heard of him.

“He controls all the ships coming to and from our country, and in the shadow of his business, he moves all manner of drugs and contraband, using hired thugs and even ninja to keep everyone in line. Our country is extremely poor. Even our nobles have little money. Everyone put what little they had together for this mission. It's our only hope.”

Tazuna puts on a resolute face. “The bridge. That is the only thing he fears. If it is built, his hold over our nation will be broken. That's why he wants me dead, at any cost. If you leave me now. I will surely die.”

“Sensei, we should help,” I say as Tazuna finishes his story.

Kiba and Sasuke nod in agreement.

Kakashi thinks to himself for a bit, “I guess we have no choice, then. We'll protect you.”

...

As we all continue walking I comment. “We better be getting something more out of this when it's all over.”

After reaching the shore, our group travels the Land of Waves by rowboat to avoid arousing suspicion.

Once we arrive, we set off through the forest.

“We're almost back at my home,” Tazuna remarks. “You guys will protect me right?”

Kakashi speaks up, his voice very serious. “Boys, I need you to stay back if we're attacked again. The last two were Chunin and you did well, but since they failed the next time it'll be a Jonin. I need you to promise me you won't try to fight. A Jonin is far beyond your level.”

“We'll try, Sensei,” I answer. “But we may not have a choice. And we'll help you if it comes to that.”

“Agreed,” says Sasuke. “If both combatants are Jonin, then who knows if you'll need support.”

Kiba speaks next while smiling, “Well you heard it, Kakashi Sensei. Do your best!”

Kakashi sighs, “That's the best I'm going to get out of you, isn't it?”

Our group continues walking through the forest uneventfully until Akamaru starts barking. He hops down from Kiba's head and runs into the bushes, from which he drags a white rabbit.

“Quit goofing around, Akamaru. We're on a mission,” Kiba scolds.

Moments later, Kakashi Sensei shouts. “Get down!”

All of us duck as a giant sword passes over me and gets lodged in a tree. Onto the handle of the sword jumps a tall shirtless man wearing bandages like a mask over the bottom half of his face.

I jump back to guard Tazuna, and my teammates join me. We all draw our weapons.

“Good job, boys,” Kakashi remarks. “I'll take this one: Zabuza Momochi, a rogue ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mist.”

The man, Zabuza, chuckles to himself. “The Copy Ninja, Kakashi of the Sharingan. Did I get that right?”

Sasuke looks at Kakashi Sensei in confusion.

“Sorry,” Zabuza continues. “But I'm going to be taking care of that old man.”

Kakashi Sensei grabs his headband, “I need you three to protect the bridge builder, and not get involved in this fight. Do you understand?”

He lifts his headband to reveal a strange red-eye with a scar over it.

“I'm ready,” he states.

I keep focussing. There are a lot of questions to ask but now's not the time.

Zabuza looks down at Kakashi Sensei, “So, it looks like I'll have to eliminate you first. So be it.”

He jumps down onto a nearby lake, standing on the water's surface.

He forms a hand sign and speaks. “Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Jutsu!”

No sooner does he speak than mist starts rolling in, getting thicker and thicker to the point where I can barely see.

Kakashi Sensei breaks the silence, “He is Zabuza Momochi, former leader of the Mist's Assassination Unit, and a master of the silent killing technique. He can kill you before you even realize what's happened. Stay completely aware of your surroundings.”

I hear Zabuza chuckle somewhere, “There are eight points on the body that I can kill you instantly by hitting. I wonder which I should go for?”

The air is thick, and not just from the mist. I feel the incredibly oppressive atmosphere between two high-level Jonin intent to kill. It's suffocating. I begin to shake. It takes everything I have to keep my weapon at the ready. Sasuke and Kiba are shaking too. I don't know how much more of this we can all take.

Kakashi Sensei forms a hand seal and emits chakra to clear mist out of the immediate vicinity.

“Boys, calm down,” he states. “I will protect you with my life. I will not let my comrades die.”

He turns to the group and smiles, “Trust me.”

The three of us feel some relief. Enough to stop shaking, at least.

Immediately I hear Zabuza again, “I wouldn't be so sure about that.”

Behind me, Zabuza has appeared directly in the middle of our formation. I move fast. Noticing the hole on his sword, I throw my kyoketsu-shoge through it and hook it around, in an attempt to impede its swinging.

Sasuke quickly draws two kunai, which he had affixed with the wire I gave him earlier, and binds Zabuza's feet.

The result is Zabuza unable to move for a moment.

Kiba looks dumbstruck at first, before looking as if a realization hits him. In the moment we have Zabuza immobilized, Kiba stabs through him with his claws.

“He's not real, guys,” Kiba says as water drips from Zabuza's wound. “He doesn't have a smell.”

Kakashi, who's rushing to meet Zabuza, stops. 

The clone collapses into water as I hear Zabuza chuckle again, “These are some skilled kids, Kakashi.”

I see Zabuza appear behind our Sensei, “But it's no use.”

He begins to swing his sword. It goes right through Sensei, only for him to collapse into water. The real Kakashi appears behind Zabuza with a kunai to his neck.

“You copied my Water Clone Jutsu so quickly,” Zabuza remarks.

“It's over, Zabuza,” Sensei states.

Just then, Kiba speaks up, “Sensei! That one's not real either!”

However, Kiba's warning comes too late. The real Zabuza appears behind Kakashi and kicks him straight through his clone and into the lake nearby.

Quickly following, he stands on the water and performs several hand seals.

“Water Release: Water Prison Jutsu!” With that line, he envelops Sensei in a sphere of water.

“With that dog kid around, I can't afford to rely on my usual tactics,” Zabuza explains. “I need you out of the picture. You can't escape from this jutsu!”

I look on at our helpless Sensei. It's just me and my Genin teammates now, against a highly skilled Jonin. If we can somehow assist Kakashi Sensei's escape, we just might survive.

“I'll deal with you later, Kakashi.” Zabuza forms another hand seal, “For now...”

“Water Clone Jutsu!” On Zabuza's word, a human figure rises from the water and takes on his form.

“Heh, just wearing those headbands doesn't make you a ninja,” Zabuza taunts. “You can only be called a ninja once you have straddled the line between life and death so many times that it has become natural. Though surely skilled kids like you would have one day made fine ninja, had you not met me. Now your lives will be tragically cut short.”

His Water clone approaches the group, ready to strike.

“Run away!” I hear from Kakashi Sensei inside his water prison, “Take the bridge builder and go! He's using all of his energy to keep me in here, so he can only fight you with his water clones, but they can't go far from his real body! So just run!”

“There's no way we're leaving you behind, Sensei,” I answer.

"Kon's right,” Sasuke adds. “If we leave now, he'll just track us down and eliminate us. And there will be nothing we can do. Our only chance is to free you, Sensei.”

Behind me, Tazuna looks solemn. “That's right kids. This is all my fault. They're after me so, you boys do what you have to do.”

“I'll try and get you guys an opening!” Sasuke tells you before he runs off to meet Zabuza's clone.

“Kon,” Kiba addresses you. “Akamaru and I have been working on a new technique. We dash and the opponent and spin, turning our entire bodies into weapons. If we can hit, it's sure to break the clone. But we haven't had much practice. If he dodges, we'll be wide open. I don't know how many times we'll be able to pull it off, either.”

Sasuke's attack on Zabuza meets with a swift kick to the gut. After jumping to avoid Zabuza's sword, Sasuke now finds himself held up by his throat. 

“Well get ready to use it,” I tell Kiba. As he feeds Akamaru that pill again and performs his transformation, I run ahead.

As I approach, I throw some kunai with explosive tags toward Zabuza's arm. On reflex, he throws Sasuke away while moving his arm to dodge. I run up to Sasuke in time to see Kiba's attack.

“Man-Beast Taijutsu: Fang Over Fang!” Kiba and Akamaru begin spinning extremely fast, and hit Zabuza's water clone head-on. 

The clone bursts into water and Kiba lands alongside me and Sasuke, only for Zabuza to laugh.

“Amusing. Water Clone Jutsu!” He forms another handsign and creates yet another clone from the water of the lake.

“I can keep this up much longer than you, kids,” Zabuza goes on. “It doesn't matter how many clones you manage to beat. After all, you kids just don't have it in you to be as ruthless as I am. They called me the Demon of the Hidden Mist. Until ten years ago, the Mist's academy graduation exam required the students to kill each other to advance. That is, until the year I showed up and killed every student.”

“It was... so much fun,” Zabuza muses to himself. “But enough reminiscing. Let's get this over with.”

His newly made clone begins to approach.

“This is useless,” Sasuke insists. “We have to get to his real body.”

“Remember how we beat Kakashi Sensei's test?” I ask.

Sasuke nods, "I follow you."

Next to me, Kiba comes to an understanding. “And then we pass through, right?”

With a course of action in mind, the three of us take off. I throw a handful of kunai that have been strung with explosive tags towards Zabuza's water clone, who simply dodges.

“You can't be expecting to actually hit me with that?” Zabuza mocks. “This time you won't even get an opening from it.”

As soon as the tags are down, Sasuke makes his move. With a flash of hand seals, he prepares. “Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu!”

The flames hit my tags and cause another huge explosion. I don't expect that it'll enough to take down the clone, but it doesn't matter.

“They're using the smoke from the explosion as cover this time, eh?” Zabuza muses. “Well, you will run out of these creative ways to defeat my clones soon enough.”

Just then, Kiba and Akamaru emerge from the smoke, spiraling towards Zabuza.

“After my real body?” Zabuza notes. “You think you're smart, huh? Well too bad.”

Kiba and Akamaru's aim is too low. Zabuza jumps right over them.

“I told you, it's useless!”

Our contingency comes in. Out from the smoke emerges a handful of kunai and shuriken that I and Sasuke had thrown to be extra sure.

“Foolish!” Zabuza exclaims. He catches a kunai with his free hand and knocks the rest away harmlessly. “You can try as many times as you like, you'll never hit me!”

Just then, Zabuza gets struck. After missing their attack, Kiba and Akamaru had stopped spinning. Using Kiba as a springboard, Akamaru went for a strike from the opposite direction as Zabuza took the bait.

His arm receives a large gash, his hold on the water prison breaks, “You damn mutt!” Zabuza cries in rage.

As he is about to stab Akamaru, but Kakashi blocks the attack, now free.

“Good boy, Akamaru,” Kakashi praises. “And nice work by the whole team. I'll take it from here.”

We fall into defensive positions around Tazuna. Kiba and Akamaru swim over to join me as our Sensei deals with Zabuza.

The two Jonin break apart and stand opposite each other. They start making a flurry of hand seals.

Next to me, Sasuke comments, “Sensei. He's using the Sharingan.”

Kakashi is mirroring Zabuza's movements exactly.

They both finish the jutsu at the same time. “Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu!” they shout.

The jutsu cancel each other out, and the two Jonin clash again. 

“What's going on, Sasuke?” I ask.

“Sensei is using the Sharingan to replicate Zabuza's movements down to the smallest detail,” Sasuke explains.  
“Even copying his jutsu.”

Sasuke clenches his fist, “But how did he get it? Is he really an Uchiha? Or did he take it?”

Back at the fight, Zabuza and Kakashi are furiously making hand signs. At one point, Sensei outpaces him at his own jutsu.

“Water Release: Giant Vortex Jutsu!” With that, a huge torrent of water engulfs Zabuza and smashes him against a tree, where Kakashi Sensei pins him with kunai. 

"How?" Zabuza groans. "How did you perform my jutsu before I did? Can that eye see the future?"

"That's right," Kakashi responds. "You will die here."

Before Kakashi has a chance to move, several senbon pierce Zabuza's neck, and he falls to the ground.

I see the culprit in a nearby tree branch. A young man in a robe wearing a mask similar to the ANBU, but there's a mark on it with the symbol of the Village Hidden in the Mist. 

“You were right,” the young man tells Kakashi. “He did die here.”

“Who is that?” I ask.

“From his mask, it looks like he's a tracker ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mist,” Kakashi answers. “Likely here to dispose of Zabuza's body to keep village secrets.”

He walks over to Zabuza's motionless body. “No vitals. Looks like he really is dead.”

“So is that it?” Kiba asks. “After all that?”

“That's the way things are sometimes, Kiba,” Sensei replies. ”You'll just have to learn to let it go.”

The man goes and grabs Zabuza's body. "Thank you for your cooperation. I must now dispose of this body." With that line, the young man disappears.

After a period of silence, Tazuna speaks up. "Well, sorry about causing all of this trouble. But hey, you can relax once we get to my house."

"He's right, team," Kakashi says. "We've still got a mission to accomplish."

Sensei begins to walk on when he suddenly collapses. 

Immediately I run over to Sensei. “Kakashi Sensei, are you alright? What's wrong?”

As I fuss, the others help him up with their shoulders.

”I just overexerted myself using the Sharingan,” he assures me. “I'll be alright with a bit of rest.”

...

Our group continues, and eventually reaches Tazuna's house. After a night of rest, we all meet up in the room that Kakashi is currently bedridden in.

“It'll be days before I'm back in top form,” he sits up and explains. “But I'll be fine.”

Kakashi has a very concerned look on his face, as if he has been thinking about something very hard. 

“What's on your mind, Sensei?” I ask. “Were you thinking that was too convenient”

“Kind of,” Kakashi responds. “But more than that, I was thinking about that tracker ninja's methods. I must have been too exhausted to think of it before, but he should have dealt with Zabuza's body right there, as soon as possible, yet he moved it despite it being much heavier than him. Also, he used senbon, which are extremely precise, yet rarely fatal.”

“Wait,” Kiba interjects. “Sensei, are you saying Zabuza is alive? But you said he had no vitals!”

“I did,” clarifies Kakashi. “But it was only a temporary state. I think from all these factors, we can assume that ninja was not trying to dispose of Zabuza, but save him.”

“So he'll be back,” Sasuke speaks up. “And he probably won't be alone.”

“We can handle it, Sensei,” I boast. “We did just fine before.”

“Somehow I'm not as confident as you are.” Kakashi Sensei replies. “That's why I'll be training you.”

“Are we sure some last-minute training is going to make a whole lot of difference?” Kiba asks.

“It won't mean anything,” I hear from outside of the room.

“Inari!” Tazuna greets the boy. He goes in for a hug and welcomes him back home.

He turns to our team again. “You guys are just going to get killed by Gato's men, like everyone else who tried to defy him. You'll probably drag us down with you, too.”

I ignore the kid. Kiba however, has no such restraint.

“They've already tried kid, but here we are,” he also boasts. “Once we keep your grandpa safe and he builds that bridge, feel free to come back and apologize for doubting us.”

The kid, still clearly in a bad mood, turns to leave. “You guys think you're heroes or something. Heroes don't exist.” 

He goes upstairs, presumably to his room.

“Alright boys,” Kakashi addresses the squad. “Let's head on out to the forest. We're about to start your training.”

After Tazuna's daughter Tsunami fixes breakfast, our team eats and heads out to a nearby grove to start training.

Kakashi Sensei, now supported by crutches, addresses the team.

“The only way you three are going to get measurably better in the little time we have is by working on your chakra control," Sensei explains. “Now, I trust that all of you remember the basic workings of chakra?”

“Maybe we could get a refresher?” I ask.

“Of course,” Sensei replies. “Using chakra requires you to draw on your spiritual and physical energies. This must be done in exactly the right proportion, or you're just wasting energy. Thus, the goal of this training is to practice until you can draw out your chakra as effectively as possible. In battle, managing your chakra must be second nature, or you'll run out and be unable to fight.”

“So what exactly are we doing?” Sasuke asks.

“We'll be climbing trees,” Sensei states.

Our team looks confused.

“But there's a stipulation,” Kakashi goes on. "You can't use your hands. You must climb the tree by focusing your chakra to the soles of your feet, like so."

Kakashi Sensei makes a hand sign to focus his chakra. Then, crutches and all, he walks slowly up the side of the tree. When he reaches a high branch, he even walks along the underside before turning to address us upside down.

“The soles of the feet are said to be the hardest location in the body to focus chakra, so if you can accomplish this, you are well on your way to mastering chakra control. This same principle can also be used to walk across the surface of water, as you saw Zabuza and I do earlier.”

He throws three kunai down at our feet, “Try to climb the tree and mark your progress, attempting to get higher each time. You'll want to get a running start at first.”

The three of us take the kunai and face separate trees, then begin focusing our chakra.

I focus the chakra to my feet and run at the tree. As I start to go up, I feel my feet attracted to the tree. I keep going up and feel the chakra fluctuating. in order to not fall off, I have to adjust the amount of chakra in my feet.

“Here I go!” Kiba, as enthusiastic as ever, runs at the tree. He only gets a few feet up before falling back down and hitting his head. Luckily Akamaru had ditched his usual resting spot before Kiba fell.

Sasuke takes to the tree a bit too hard. He runs a few feet up, but the tree begins to crack at the force of his chakra, and he falls.

I however reach a branch quite high up and decide to call it there, taking a rest on the branch.

“Well, well,” Kakashi remarks. “That's about what I expected from Sasuke and Kiba, but you gave me quite the surprise, Kon. That's some impressive chakra control.”

The three of us keep training for quite a while, making good progress before Kakashi comes up to me

“Tazuna needs at least one escort while he works on the bridge,” he tells me. “You seem to have this exercise down pretty well, so I think you should go.”

I offer some tips to Kiba and Sasuke before I go. Though they try to look stubborn, they listen intently.

Later on, I reach the bridge with Tazuna. I watch him and his workers as they assemble the bridge, not doing much of anything myself except staying alert.

Around lunchtime, one of the workers, Giichi, comes up to Tazuna.

“Tazuna,” he calls, “I need to talk to you. I've been thinking about the bridge, and I think I should stop.”

“What?” exclaims Tazuna. “After we've come this far, now you're quitting on me?”

“I stayed this long because of our friendship,” Giichi continues. “But I'm risking my life every day I come here. Gato's thugs will come and kill you eventually, and the bridge will never get finished. We should get out while we can.”

Tazuna grits his teeth. I notice his fists clenching and quickly move to calm Tazuna.

“No need to get angry, Sensei and my team are all here,” I tell him. “A worker or two may leave, but we will stay here and protect you until the bridge is done.”

Tazuna's fist unclenches, “That's right. You've all proven you can do it.”

“Giichi,” Tazuna addresses him calmly. “This bridge is the only hope of our nation. It's getting built even if I have to do it alone.”

Tazuna turns to leave, “Let's break for lunch.”

Later on in the evening, me and Tazuna are going around the market. Or rather, what passes for a market there. Almost no wares in any of the stores and the impoverished citizens line the streets. More than once, I have to deter pickpockets from trying to filch my bag.

In one instance I expect a thief, but instead, a child greets me. He's filthy and his clothes are old and worn, but he smiles as he holds out his hands towards me. 

I hand the kid some snacks I had in my bag. His eyes light up and he thanks me as he runs off.

Tazuna comes up next to me, “That's what we're reduced to these days. The children have to beg for scraps because their parents have no work. And no one dares to stand up to Gato. That's what we're building here, not a bridge. We're giving this country courage.”

Later at Tazuna's home, our team and his family are sitting at the table eating dinner. Sasuke and Kiba look pretty beaten from training, but they are still managing to shovel an impressive amount of food into their mouths.

From my seat, I notice a family photo with Tazuna, Tsunami, and Inari in it. It looks like there was someone else as well, but the top-right corner of the photo was conspicuously torn out. 

“So how are Sasuke and Kiba's training going?” I ask.

“Sasuke is doing pretty good now, he's almost up to where you got,” Kiba explains between bites. “But I'm catching up! He's not gonna beat me!”

After his boast, Kiba catches Inari looking at the torn photo. “Hey, what's with that picture? Was there somebody else in it?” he asks bluntly.

“That's Inari's father,” Tazuna says. “They called him a hero here once.”

Inari gets up from the table, clearly in distress. His mother chases after him. 

Kakashi inquires further, and Tazuna tells us all the story.

He tells of how the man, Kaiza, met Inari and became his father figure. About him saving the village in its time of need, and about how he became an example of when him being the only one to stand up to Gato.

The story leaves the room in a solemn atmosphere.

“Well then...” Kiba stands up. “We'll just have to show Inari how to stand up for himself! Let's get back to training.”

The next day comes and I decide to let Kiba and Sasuke both get more training while I keep an eye on Tazuna.

...

Over the next few days, I come up with a few ways to get some training of my own while I do my job.

I practice walking on the underside of the bridge until I can do it automatically. I get in plenty of my usual weapons drills. I also try getting a tub of water and standing on the surface of that, but I have a bit more trouble with that one. It might take a couple of weeks to get downright.

On one morning, about a week after our arrival, Kakashi Sensei is back in top form.

“I'll be accompanying Tazuna myself from this day on,” he says before looking around. “By the way, where are Kiba and Akamaru?”

“He probably stayed out all night training,” Sasuke states. “Should someone go look for him?”

I take off towards where he'd last been training at.

When I approach, I see Kiba talking with someone I think is a girl, while Kiba is wearing the biggest dumbest smile I've ever seen. Next to him, Akamaru is barking his head off, but Kiba is ignoring him.

“Yeah, I'm gonna be Hokage you know. I'll protect the whole village then! Pretty cool, huh?”

I stay hidden in the trees.

“I'm sure you'll become very strong with a dream like that. We'll meet again,” the girl? Tells Kiba before getting up to walk away. “By the way, I'm a boy.”

Kiba recoils in surprise. I struggle not to give my position away laughing, but I notice the boy glance in my direction as he leaves.

I approach Kiba as he's still reeling. “There is no way that was a guy! Huh? What's that Akamaru? You say we've seen him before?”

“He was the tracker nin,” I tell Kiba. “He even saw me in my hiding spot. Aren't you supposed to be able to smell things like that?”

“Shut up!” Kiba barks. “I was distracted, okay?”

“Well...” I start. “He didn't kill you even though he certainly could have, so maybe hitting on him saved your life?”

After giving Kiba a hard time, we both return to the house.

The next morning, Kakashi declares that we are all done with training, and will be guarding Tazuna as a team from this point.

“Wait,” I tell my Sensei. “I think we should post someone at the house, just in case.”

“It's certainly possible that Gato may send people here,” Kakashi admits. “Who do you think should stay then?”

“I'll do it,” I tell him.

After everyone leaves, I set up traps in some prime avenues of approach. Wires, explosive tags, the whole shebang.

Sure enough, only a few hours later my premonition comes true. Two thugs with swords start to approach the house. Much to their dismay, they walk right into one of my wires.

Behind them, some explosive tags go off, prompting them to draw their swords and run further ahead to getaway. When they do so, they run into another set of explosive tags and are blown up in the air. They land just short of the house, burn marks all over, and clearly in no condition to threaten anybody.

“Please don't kill us,” one says. “We'll leave you alone! Uhh... they're attacking the bridge right now, you know? You don't really have time to deal with us, right? You should hurry!”

Behind me, Inari looks worried. I knock both of the thugs out and stash their swords away. I also really like the shorter one's hat, so I decide to take it for myself.

Afterward, I turn back towards Inari, “You should probably make sure you and your mom stay safe. Maybe meet up with some neighbors. I've got to go.”

I take off toward the bridge. Soon enough I arrive. A mist has enveloped it already, likely a result of Zabuza's jutsu.

Upon closer inspection, I see two fights occurring. Who I think is Zabuza and Kakashi Sensei are clashing one-on-one, and further, along the bridge, I see some sort of weird panels surrounding a couple of people.

It's then that I notice Tazuna standing alone, with no guard. Deciding on a course of action, I approach from under the bridge like I had practiced.

When I get close, I can see more clearly. Inside the panels, which seem to be made from ice, are Kiba and Akamaru, along with Sasuke. They look pretty cut up by senbon, seemingly held by the tracker nin, who's somehow inside the ice panels.

Time for stealth, I prep some explosive tags and attach them to kunai.

I throw them at one of the panels and they explode. Unfortunately, it only causes a few small cracks. The hunter nin notices me and makes a quick seal with one hand that shores up the cracks immediately.

“You'll need a lot more than that to destroy my crystal ice mirrors,” he says. “Even if you attack from both sides, you genin just don't have enough strength.”

From inside the mirrors, Sasuke looks at me.

I know he means to try that trick again. I throw more explosive tags as he performs his hand seals. “Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu!”

Once again, the combination of Sasuke's fire and my tags cause a huge explosion.

Before the smoke even clears Kiba jumps in, and with the strongest strike he can manage, shatters the mirror.

“How do you like that?” he asks.

Sasuke and Kiba look pretty worn. We've gotten rid of one mirror, but several still surround my teammates. Somehow I get the feeling that he won't let me whittle down all the mirrors.

“Kiba, use this opening to escape!” I yell.

Kiba starts to run towards the gap in the mirrors, only to be met by a hail of senbon. He crouches over Akamaru to shield him. The ninja wearing the mask appears before him and kicks him back to the center.

“You will not escape,” the nin states. “I was told to keep you here especially.”

The rain of senbon returns in full force, Kiba taking hits all over. Sasuke seems to be having some luck dodging, but is taking hits as well.

Now that I know he's moving from mirror to mirror, I try to catch him with my kyoketsu-shoge, but to no avail. He's far too fast for me to catch. Unimaginably fast.

I figure if I can deny his movement through the mirrors, it could give us an edge. I approach the nearest one and pull out all my wire. I throw it up around the mirror, wrapping around all of it so that the wire completely envelopes it, but I'm now out of wire.

“Enough of this,” The nin states. “I don't have time for you to keep trying every way to deny me the use of my mirrors. I'm going to end this now.”

He leans out and throws some senbon in my direction. I take a bunch in my leg, and I lose feeling. He's not fooling around anymore.

He begins another rain of senbon from in his mirrors. But somehow Sasuke dodges, even grabbing Kiba from out of harm's way.

“Impossible!” the nin with the masm declares. “The human eye cannot follow my movements!”

Sasuke looks up. I see something familiar in his eyes. The Sharingan.

“I... can see,” Sasuke states.

Kiba, clearly in pain, rolls over and gets to his knee. “Thanks, Sasuke, but I think we've only got one more move in us.”

I think as hard as I can. This new development may have given us all a chance, but we only have one shot. Our mobility is down, but I have to help my teammates. Sasuke can see the enemy's movements, he just needs a means to hit him hard enough. I decide to toss him one of the swords I took. If Sasuke can't stop him with that, he can't stop him at all. We just need a distraction.

“Kiba, make a break for it!” I yell. I pull out the sword as I do. As Kiba runs, I toss the sword to Sasuke through the gap. He catches it and makes a jump for the masked nin. I throw all the explosive tags I have to slow the enemy down.

The nin, slows trying to avoid the explosive tags, goes to throw senbon and stop Kiba, but halts. Sasuke holds the sword up, locking against the senbon.

At that moment, Kiba and Akamaru come through, “Man-Beast Taijutsu: Fang Over Fang!”

Refusing to disengage, Sasuke holds the nin in place, still in range of the explosions of my tags. The explosion grazes him, but he holds out through the pain.

Kiba's attack curves around Sasuke and hits its mark. The nin launches back to the ground, and his mask shatters. The mirrors follow shortly, the focus keeping them up broken.

The three of us approach the young boy. It's the very same one I had suspected. The androgynous boy in the forest.

I quickly restrain the boy with rope, and keep him held down as best I can.

“Kiba, Sasuke, go guard Tazuna or see if you can help Kakashi Sensei!” I direct them.

Though tired, they do so, leaving me alone with the boy.

“Why?” I ask. “You could have killed us all easily, yet you refused to do so.”

The boy is silent for a moment before he speaks.

“I am a tool,” he begins. “My only purpose is to serve Zabuza, and I have failed. I thought I could perform my duties without killing you, but I was wrong. I am now a broken tool, of use to no one. If I cannot serve my purpose, I would rather die.”

At my inquisitive look, the boy explains further. About the discrimination against those who carry his kekkei genkai, the deaths of his parents, and his purposeless existence until meeting Zabuza. He spoke fondly of serving under Zabuza, having a purpose.

“But that is all over now,” he finishes. “There is no longer any meaning to my existence.”

“So please, kill me...” he pleads.

I think about everything he said, trying to associate with something I know, and eventually, come up with something. I take an explosive tag and throw it off the edge of the bridge, for it to explode in the air.

“Did you see that?” I ask. “What was the purpose of that explosive, from its conception to its detonation? Ultimately meaningless, since it didn't accomplish its intended use of harming the enemy, right? But I found the explosion beautiful, in its own way. Vision distorting in a perfect sphere around the tag as the force pushes air away, then the flames flowing in to fill the void left behind, immediately snuffed by the lack of fuel. Then, as the flames go dim, smoke arises, in patterns twisted by each gentle brush of air as it rushes in to fill the void that was made a moment ago. It might not have served a purpose, but I still found meaning in it, simply for being beautiful. You already have more than that going for you, but if you die, then you truly have nothing. Not even a chance to find meaning. So I won't kill you.”

The boy looks down and remains silent.

From further down the bridge I hear a strange sound, like chirping birds. I look up and see Kakashi Sensei preparing an attack that looks like it's meant to kill Zabuza.

The boy I've restrained looks up, with concern. He starts to struggle with all his might to get free.

Using all the strength I have left, I hold the boy down. He thrashes as hard as he can but can't break free, watching as his master is run through by Kakashi Sensei's attack.

Zabuza falls to the ground, still breathing lightly, but clearly for mere moments more. The gaping wound indicates that there is likely no way he could live through it, no way to save him at this point.

The boy under me stops his movement.

“Sorry,” I tell the boy. “But if I let you go and die, Zabuza would still have died to all of us. At least you haven't died for nothing.”

Zabuza turns his head, “Haku...” he groans. “So in the end you were too soft... too kind. I wasn't able to change your true nature. Even though... you were a great tool... I still wasn't able to achieve my dream.”

I notice the boy beneath me, Haku, is now crying.

“Fine...” Zabuza states, “Do... as you wish.”

With that, Zabuza passes. Kakashi begins to walk over to me when we all hear a group approaching from further down the bridge. It's a short man with a cane followed by a huge group of thugs.

“Well, well, well,” The short man, assumably Gato, says. “So that's all the Demon of the Hidden Mist could manage. Pathetic. But hey, I don't have to pay him anymore, so thanks for that, hahaha!”

Gato walks his way over to Zabuza's corpse. “While I'm here, I might as well get my kicks in!” he laughs as he kicks the corpse. “Alright boys, let's get ready to clean up.”

I get up and prepare a kunai. As I throw it, the thugs move to intercept. They stop, however, when they are surprised by a pillar of ice.

Gato's foot is still held up ready to kick Zabuza again, but ice is surrounding it, Haku having made a hand sign behind his back when I got up.

“Wh-what is this?” he manages to stammer before my kunai hits him dead on in the forehead. The look of disbelief is the last thing on his face before he's blown to smithereens.

The thugs look around for a bit before seeming to come to a consensus. “Well now who's going to pay us, huh?” one asks. “I guess we'll just have to take it from that village, then! Come on, boys!”

As they begin to make their charge, a crossbow bolt hits the ground in front of them.

I look to see the villagers, all led by Giichi, together with what weapons they could find.

“You were right, Tazuna!” he calls. "This bridge is our town's hope. If we don't want to spend our lives wasting away to nothing, we have to fight while we have the chance! Down to the last man!"

The thugs look apprehensive. I pull some more kunai. Everyone else on our team does the same.

“No pay, no weak townsfolk to roll over while you rob them, you might want to leave with your lives while you have the chance,” I say before throwing a few kunai at the thug's feet. “Or you could just not leave at all.”

The townspeople all brandish their weapons.

The thugs all start to run backwards off the bridge, several making comments akin to “It's not worth it.”

As the townspeople cheer in celebration, our team walks back over to Zabuza's corpse. Haku had made his way over there, leaning over it now.

“How can I live now...” he mutters. “I am back where I started. Alone and without a purpose in this world.”

“You know...” Kakashi Sensei starts. “I felt like that too, once. There was a time in my life when I had lost everyone I cared about. I was living without a purpose. But you have to keep on living. If you do, you can always find something worth living for. I don't know what it could be for you Haku, but you can't find it if you're dead. Keep living, and find people to live for.”

Haku stays silent. I don't know if anything that has been said will get through to him, but I do know that our mission here in the Land of Waves is as good as complete. The townspeople have stood up for themselves, and the bridge will be built. I can rest easy for now.

End of Chapter 2


	3. Chunin Exams Pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our hero returns home and gets ready for the Chunin exam.

After the events on the bridge, Kakashi Sensei takes it upon himself to keep an eye on Haku. He tells me that for Haku's sake, it's better if he comes to the village where he can get some help. He spends a lot of time talking with Haku, trying to convince him to accompany me.

“You know...” I hear Kakashi Sensei tell him. “Sasuke's clan, the Uchiha, find meaning in their kekkei genkai. They serve as the village's police force, respected and looked up to by everyone. They surely live lives filled with purpose.”

Eventually, Haku relents and decides that having nowhere to go, he loses nothing by accompanying me.

Sensei also takes the time to reprimand me. “Killing Gato wasn't in the mission profile,” he scolds. “I know it couldn't be helped this time, but try to avoid that in the future. The Leaf's reputation may be damaged, and as shinobi of the Leaf we need to avoid that whenever possible.”

On the eve of the bridge's completion, our team and Haku are on a cliff overlooking the village and the bridge. Kakashi Sensei had decided to let Haku get some closure by making a grave here for Zabuza. After everyone pays their respects, Kakashi sets Zabuza's sword in the ground behind the grave.

End of Chapter 3

“What do you think, Haku?” he asks. “Would this make a good headstone?”

Haku walks over and lays his hand on the sword. He's quiet for a long while before speaking.

“I think this sword is like me,” he says. “It wants to be useful to someone.”

“You should keep it, Haku,” I tell him.

Haku looks at the sword. “I do not think I should find much use for it. I do not know if I ever even want to fight again.”

He picks the sword out of the ground. “But I will take it if you say. Perhaps I may find someone in need of it.”

...

The next morning we all gather at the bridge, ready to set off.

The entire village is also there.

“Thank you for everything,” Tazuna says. “I know it's not much, but I know you all wanted something special for doing this mission. So, I'm letting you all name the bridge! How about that, huh?”

An idea comes to me.

“What about the Kaiza Bridge?” I ask.

“The Kaiza Bridge,” Tazuna repeats. I can see tears welling up in his eyes. Inari looks about ready to bawl. “That's a fine name. Thank you. Come back and see us any time.”

We part ways and head across the bridge, and back to the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

As we finally approach the gates, I see someone waiting there.

“Ah, he must be here already,” Kakashi says. “I sent word to the Hokage about Haku, and he's having someone meet us here.”

The man comes to greet us.

“Nice to meet you,” he says. “My name is Inoichi Yamanaka. I'm Ino's father.”

“You're Haku, right?” he looks towards the boy. “The Hokage assigned me to get you settled in here, find you a place. Think of me as your therapist, I can help you talk out anything you want.”

Eventually, everyone heads their separate ways, and I go home, anxious to be back after the long mission.

....

Over the next week, I spend a lot of my free time with my Uncle. He loves having me around as an extra pair of hands, and he takes great interest in the stories of our mission.

“I knew it,” he says. “I just knew you were gonna be a great ninja. You just started and you're already doing amazing things.”

I also manage to convince Kiba and Sasuke to train with me on my off-time. Sasuke acts as reluctant as ever but seems to enjoy training with his teammates. In particular, he has taken a liking to the sword I gave him.

Training with Kiba and Sasuke seems to push me harder physically than usual. I feel stronger.

After training one day, the three of us are walking along, making conversation.

“So my mom dragged Sensei to dinner at our house the other night, right?” Kiba goes in front of us while walking backward. “Oh man, you guys should have seen it, my mom and sister were looking at him like a piece of meat! Sensei was sweating bullets!”

As Kiba laughs, he bumps into somebody. It's a taller kid wearing a black outfit, with another figure who's back has been covered in bandages. Next to him is a girl with a giant fan. They both have the symbol of the Village Hidden in the Sand on their headbands.

“Hey watch it,” the boy says. "What, are you punks Leaf Genin?"

“That's right,” I say. “Sorry about my friend here. After a while, the low attention span becomes part of his charm. I'm Kon Karargowa, and these are my teammates, Kiba Inuzuka and Sasuke Uchiha. Who might you be?”

“Heh. At least one of you has manners,” he laughs to himself. “I'm Kankuro and this is Temari. We're Genin from the Land of Wind. We're here for the Chunin exams, which are no doubt news to your dumb friend there.”

“What did you just say?!” Kiba barks at Kankuro.

“I said you're an idiot,” Kankuro goes on. “Whenever I see punks like you, I just wanna beat the shit out of them.”

The girl, Temari, speaks up. “Are you seriously gonna get into a fight over this? Whatever, I'm not involved, okay?”

Kiba and Kankuro look like they're about to come to blows.

I step forward and try to diffuse the situation. “You guys shouldn't be doing this here. Talk about manners, do you think it's a good idea to represent your village like this? Picking fights on the street?”

Seeming to ignore me, Kankuro is about to hit Kiba when he's stopped. Sasuke is holding his sword, still in its sheath, up to Kankuro's neck.

“Kon's right,” he says. “Save it for the exams if you're so eager.”

Kankuro looks like he just gets more pissed off. “That's it!”

He's about to pull something when we all hear a voice. “Step off, Kankuro. You're an embarrassment to our village.”

I look and see a boy upside down under a tree branch.

Kankuro immediately recoils. “Gaara!” he cries. “Sorry, you're right, I was completely out of line.”

Kankuro turns back to our team. “Sorry guys, you're right. I'm not representing my village very well, let's all meet in the Chunin exams, yeah?”

The boy disappears from his spot and reappears in front of Kankuro and Temari.

“If you try to pull that again Kankuro, I'll kill you,” they all turn to leave. “Sorry for the trouble.”

“Don't worry about it,” I call after him. “Good luck at the exams.”

The next day, after waiting for three hours at the designated location, Kakashi Sensei arrives with the news we are all anticipating.

“I've nominated all three of you for the Chunin exams,” he tells us. “You've all proven to be incredibly talented, and I have no doubt that you're ready.”

He produces three forms. “If you want to participate, just fill out this form and head to room 301 at the academy five days from now.”

“Oh yeah!” Kiba shouts as he takes his form. “We're gonna kick ass, right guys?”

Sasuke takes his form as well. “I'd say we're pretty well equipped, yeah.”

I also take my form. “I'll participate,” I tell Sensei.

“Good,” Kakashi says. “You guys prove you have great teamwork time and time again, so I'm looking forward to it.”

...

On the day of the exam, the three of us arrive at the academy. I see teams 6, 8, and 10 there as well.

In front of the door, two guys are standing. They seem to have hit Sakura when she tried to pass.

“Don't even bother,” one says. “If you can't get past us, you don't have a chance at the exam. Give up and go home.”

I calmly walk up to the two guys. They expect me to make some kind of statement but are surprised when I pull an explosive tag and place it on the right guy's shoulder.

The tag is fake, but they don't know that. The right one freaks out and runs off, while the left one just stares incredulously.

Sasuke walks up after me. “Pretty funny Kon, but that wasn't necessary. Your genjutsu sucks, so you wouldn't know, but we're not even on the third floor.”

All the other participants look around confused, save for the guy left in front of ms. “So you saw through the illusion, huh? Not bad.”

He dispels the genjutsu and leaves as all the participants start to head upstairs.

Our team starts to leave as well when we're stopped.

“Sasuke!” I hear from behind me. It's Lee, now sporting a bowl cut and green jumpsuit. Though he looks far more ridiculous than the last time I saw him, he also looks somehow stronger.

“That was impressive,” he states. “You truly were the most talented of all the students at the academy. As the former weakest, I would like to measure myself against you. Would you oblige me with a sparring match?”

I interrupt before Sasuke can answer. “We don't have time for this right now, guys. You'll probably get a chance to face off during the exams, but right now we have to be somewhere. Besides, wouldn't you rather keep your moves secret until the right time?”

Lee considers my argument. “You're right, Kon. For now, I'll relent. I look forward to testing myself against you in the exams!”

With that, our team heads to room 301, and we're met with the sight of the other contestants.

“Man,” Kiba notes. “That's a whole lot of guys.”

Some of the more familiar faces begin to approach. It's teams 6, 8, and 10.

“Well, it looks like we're all here.” Shikamaru states. “All 12 rookies. We're just gonna have giant targets on our backs this whole competition. What a pain.”

Sakura immediately ditches her teammates and rushes over to fawn over Sasuke.

“Oh Sasuke, it's been so long!” she grabs his arm and starts hugging it.

Sasuke looks disturbed and pushes her away. “Can you not do that?”

Sakura looks devastated but then sees Ino. “You! You better stay away from Sasuke, you pig!”

Ino shoots Sakura a condescending look. “How juvenile, Sakura. You don't have a chance with a guy, so you go straight to take it out on me. Well, I hate to tell you this, but Sasuke's not the hottest guy around anymore. And let's say I've got the market cornered on that one, so you can just keep your delusions.”

While those two argue, Kiba and Sasuke make conversation with Choji and Shikamaru. I see Sai nearby, consoling a depressed Lee. I also see Tenten nearby talking with her team. She gives me a wave as I glance in her direction. 

I decide to head over to talk to Tenten and her team. I approach as she's giving directions of some kind.

“Oh, hey Kon,” she says as I approach. “Good to see you here. I think all of the rookies are set to do pretty well. Your team and mine I think in particular are gonna go far.”

I notice her teammates, Hinata Hyuuga and Shino Aburame. I rarely ever saw them talk back at the academy, and that doesn't look like it's changed a whole lot. Hinata is looking off into space somewhere as usual, and Shino is as shifty as ever.

Another contestant approaches our group of rookies.

“Hey, you guys are the rookies, right?” he says. “My name's Kabuto Yakushi. I'm kind of a veteran here, so I know a lot about how the exam works. I figured I'd help you guys out if you wanted to know anything. Us Leaf Genin have to help each other out right?”

I decide to take up Kabuto on his offer. “Do you know anything about that team from the sand? The one with Gaara?”

Kabuto smirks. “You're in luck. I may not have passed yet, but I've spent these four years gathering information.”

He pulls out a stack of cards. “I've used my chakra to encode information onto these cards that only I can access. I can't guarantee I have all the information you want, but I'll tell you what I know.”

He spins the blank card under his finger and reveals the information.

“Here he is,” Kabuto states. “Not a whole lot on him, but he's done a B rank mission as a Genin. And get this, they say he's never even been injured. His teammates don't have any quite as impressive rumors, but they're also said to be skilled.”

“Neat trick,” I tell him. “Is that some sort of seal?”

“It's actually a very simple seal, but it requires pretty precise chakra control to encode correctly.” He answers. “Maybe I can show you sometime.”

He pulls out another card. “You can also do things like this.”

The card he pulled reveals a map with bars and numbers. “This here shows the geographical distribution of the contestants. As you can see, most come from the Leaf Village with a few from the other villages. I'm particularly curious about the Village Hidden in the Sound. They only have three genins here, they're pretty small and mysterious. No one knows much about them.”

Kabuto eventually puts the cards away but has been approached by a genin with the Sound symbol on his headband. He looks ready to attack Kabuto.

“Maybe you can ask him yourself?” I comment.

The Sound Genin, however, looks to be in no mood to talk. He takes a swing at Kabuto, who deftly jumps back and dodges. 

Strangely though, his glasses break. Stranger still, while everyone's confused, Kabuto collapses and begins to vomit.

Another of the Sound Genin approaches. “Put this on your little cards: All three Sound Genin will be Chunin by the end of these exams.”

Just then, from the front of the room, there comes a loud bang. A large group of Chunin and Jonin have appeared.

The one at the front, with the scars, begins to speak.

“Alright, you punks!” he yells. “You in the back! Are you trying to get kicked out already?”

“Sorry,” says the one wrapped in bandages. “It was our first time, so we got a bit carried away.”

“Let me make this perfectly clear,” the scarred man announces. “You are not allowed to fight outside of the test's conditions, and even then, the use of lethal force is strictly prohibited. Anyone who disobeys my direct orders will face terrible consequences. Now, I'll explain the rules for the written portion of the exam.”

We all are assigned seats, and then the scarred man, Ibiki Morino, begins to explain the test.

“Rule number one,” he starts. “This exam works on a point reduction system. You start with ten points and lose one for every question answered wrong. Rule number two: Teams will pass or fail based on the total scores of all members. Rule number three: The proctors on the edge of the room are there to keep an eye on you. If they catch you cheating, you will lose two points. If you are caught five times, you're out. And the final rule, if anyone should get a zero on the test, they will fail.”

The tests have been passed out to everyone. “Begin!” Ibiki shouts.

I examine the test. There are ten spaces for answers, but the last one has no question next to it. Scanning the questions themselves, I see that they start hard and get harder, quickly devolving into concepts that are complete nonsense to me. I might just be able to pull off the first question if I spent the whole test period on it, but I have no guarantees. I need to get at least one point.

The purpose of the test only becomes more obvious. They want me to cheat and not get caught. I have faith that Kiba and Sasuke can manage, but I don't want to let them down.

I look around subtly. Kiba and Sasuke seem to have already gleaned the purpose of the test. From across the room, I notice Akamaru looking from the top of Kiba's head and barking the answers to him.

Sasuke is sitting directly behind me, and as I had expected, is using his sharingan to copy someone.

I also notice Tenten, sitting diagonal to the front and left of me. I notice her moving her fingers around and glancing up at what seem to be some mirrors she had placed around a ceiling light.

I can't see anyone else I know from where I'm sitting very well.

Thinking about what I could do, I decide to take advantage of the system Tenten already set up. Taking out my pocket mirror, I try to orient it to see the answers without casting suspicion on either of us. I can't quite get it right, but one of Tenten's mirrors orients right where I need it.

Using the reflections, I'm able to answer all nine of the questions.

Teams disqualify one after another until there are only fifteen minutes left.

“Alright, listen up!” Ibiki yells. “It's time for the tenth question. And this one has special rules. You can choose not to answer if you want, and walk out of here right now. Try again next year. But if you stay and answer the question wrong, you will be barred from taking the exam ever again!”

Most of the contestants in the room are in shock, some even in outrage. It's a lot of pressure to put on our teammates.

“So what's it going to be?” Ibiki asks?

I stay silent. Left and right, genin opt to give up instead of risking it.

Sasuke and Kiba look resolute. They won't be giving up.

Eventually, there are only around 60 contestants left. Ibiki addresses the room.

“Very well,” he states. “As for all of you in this room, and the tenth question. You pass.”

Everyone looks dumbfounded.

“The answer to the tenth question was simply to stay,” Ibiki explains. At some incredulous outbursts, he goes further into the purpose of the test. About what it meant to use our skills to gather information, and how the tenth question had been there to represent a mission for which we had no information and had to decide to drive on regardless.

“You all pass this stage of the exam,” Ibiki finishes. “Good luck on the next one.”

As he says that, someone bursts in and a huge banner unfurls.

“Alright, maggots!” I hear. “I'm Anko Mitarashi, your proctor for the second stage of the exam, the survival portion! Your squad leaders will let you know where to go first thing tomorrow morning, for now, you're all dismissed!”

I decide to go over to my team and plan out what to stock up on for the next test. As I pass Tenten leaving, I thank her while flashing my pocket mirror. She just gives me a wink and continues.

Me and the team go out and buy all the supplies I think I can manage.

“How about we head to my Uncle's restaurant for dinner?” I ask. “Get a nice meal in before our test tomorrow?”

Kiba agrees right away, and we both manage to convince Sasuke.

Later, we're sitting around the table with Uncle and my teammates having a good time.

“So how about that test, guys?” I ask. “Did you see what some others were doing?”

“Hinata was no doubt using her byakugan,” Sasuke states. “I believe I also saw Shino using a bug for something.”

Kiba speaks next. “That Kankuro guy. He must have done something when he went to the bathroom. I think I also saw Sai do his painting jutsu thing.”

We all go on talking about our potential competition. The three of us all talk for a good while, Uncle enjoying the conversation. After some time, my teammates go home to get a good night's sleep. I do the same.

...

The next morning, all the competitors gather in front of a huge gated forest.

“Here we are,” Anko explains. “Training area number 44. Known more colloquially as The Forest of Death.”

“You'll soon find out why they call it the Forest of Death,” Anko starts.

She takes out a stack of papers and hands it to the closest genin. “First, you'll need to sign these consent forms. Pass them around, and I'll explain the rules for the second test.”

As the forms are passed around, she goes on. “This will be a test of survival. Some of you will not return, and that's why you're signing these forms. So it's not my responsibility.”

She takes out a map of the area and shows it to everyone. “As for the training area, it's a circle around the forest with rivers running through it, and a tower in the center. From the gates around the edge, it's ten kilometers to the tower. Once you are within the training area you will have a certain task.”

Pulling out a white scroll and a black scroll, she continues. “Your team must get their hands on one of each of these scrolls, by any means necessary. Ten teams will start with a 'heaven' scroll, while the other ten will start with an 'earth' scroll. To pass the test, your team must reach the tower in the center with both scrolls within five days. Now, I know what you're thinking. That means no more than ten teams can pass. But trust me, not that many teams are going to make it.”

“Wait, what are we gonna eat?” Choji blurts out.

“There's plenty to eat in the forest, if you know where to look,” Anko explains. “Just be careful of the man-eating beasts and poisonous plants. There are also three ways to get disqualified that you need to be aware of. Number one is easy: If you don't make it to the tower with both scrolls within five days. Two: If one of your teammates dies or becomes unable to continue the test. And number three: If you look at the contents of the scroll before arriving at the tower. There will be times when a Chunin is asked to handle classified information. We're testing your integrity here.”

I give the scroll to Kiba, who has Akamaru sit on it from his usual spot.

"There," Kiba says. "Nice and safe. Akamaru isn't letting that go anywhere."

I look around at the competition again. Most of the Leaf genin are pretty unassuming, but some of the other village's ninja freaks me out a bit. Some creepy guys from the Village Hidden in the Grass in particular gives me a weird vibe.

Anko directs everyone to go to their gates around the training area and wait. Sometime later, the gates open and the test begins.

Our team takes off and we all agree to head for the tower and set some traps there, but a few minutes in, we hit a clearing and Kiba stops.

“Hey, guys,” he calls. “I know we had a plan, but this place is perfect.”

“There are giant leeches in those trees there,” he explains. “Any ninja that come to check us out in this clearing will get jumped, and they'll try to escape. If we set some traps up, we'll have ourselves an easy scroll. What do you think?”

‘Let's do it,” I agree.

We set up some nets with wire in likely avenues of approach, then the three of us stand in the clearing, feigning ignorance.

Sure enough in only a few minutes, a team of rain ninja go by a swarm of leeches from the trees and jump straight into our trap.

Even more luckily, they have an earth scroll. Our team takes it and heads off through the forest.

“Man, we lucked right out with those guys,” Kiba laughs. “We might just set a new record or something.”

After a bit, Kiba stops us all.

“Hold on guys,” Kiba warns. “There are some guys ahead. I think the Sand guys are among them.”

From our vantage point in the bushes, I look out and see that they are the Sand genin we met before. They stand across from a group of Rain ninja.

“Let's scope it out from here,” I say. “We'll get to see what they're capable of.”

Next to me, Akamaru is trembling in his spot.

Out in the clearing, I hear Kankuro. “Hey Gaara, shouldn't we find out what scroll they have first? We don't want to fight an unnecessary battle, right?”

“I don't care,” I hear Gaara say. “They looked at me the wrong way, so they're gonna die.”

One of the rain ninjas gets really angry. He tosses up some umbrellas and performs a jutsu. “Ninja Art: Senbon Rainstorm!”

A rain of senbon hails down, but it's been all blocked by a wall of sand.

“You won't have any luck,” Kankuro explains. “That sand protects Gaara from any and all attacks. It even moves independently of Gaara's will.”

Gaara makes some hand signs, and the sand moves to envelop the rain ninja. The sand forms a cocoon around him and lifts him into the air.

“Sand Burial!” At Gaara's command, the sand crushes the rain ninja, and his blood goes flying everywhere.

At this, the other rain ninja cowers in fear. “Please spare us, just take the scroll!” they plead.

Gaara looks to have no intention of doing so.

I stay completely still, as does my teammates not wanting to risk drawing Gaara's attention.

Gaara immediately proceeds to crush the other two rain ninja with his sand jutsu. 

Kankuro walks over and picks up the scroll.

“We got lucky, it a heaven scroll,” he says. "Let's go on and head for the tower."

“Don't tell me what to do,” Gaara demands. “It's not enough. I want more.”

Kankuro grabs Gaara. “Look, I know this is easy for you, but it's dangerous for Temari and me. So listen to your big brother for once!”

“It's too bad I don't consider you my brother at all,” Gaara says. “If you get in my way, I'll kill you.”

Temari tries to calm him. “Hold on Gaara, we're not the enemy, right? Can't you just do it as a favor for your sister, please?”

Gaara eventually agrees, and they head off. Our entire team breathes a sigh of relief.

“Oh man,” Kiba pants. “We could have been dead right there.”

“So what now?” Sasuke asks.

...

We head for the tower, making sure to give Gaara's team a wide berth. It takes a few hours, but we arrive by nightfall.

We go inside a door and find a room with a wall scroll indicating to open the heaven and earth scrolls here. I do so and see a Chunin appear from the scroll. He congratulates us all on passing and tells us to head to the waiting area for the rest of the duration of the test.

We head inside to find no one there. That is until I spot Gaara's team. They glance in my direction. 

I wave at Gaara's team and walk over to them. Gaara looks to be in a much less murderous mood than in the forest. Kiba and Akamaru hang back a bit, Akamaru still trembling.

“Hey, good to see you all,” I say politely. “Looks like we all made it here on the first day.”

“Indeed,” Gaara says. “You must be the most skilled genin from the Leaf after all.”

“We've already been waiting half a day, though,” Kankuro mentions. “But I guess this means we will get to face each other, after all.”

...

Over the next few days, me and my team try to relax and stay ready for whatever comes next. The only other teams to come in before the final day are the sound team and Lee's team.

After Lee's team arrive, I chat them up. Sakura immediately starts gushing over Sasuke once again.

“Watch out for the red-haired Sand genin, Gaara,” I warn. “He's extremely dangerous, you don't want to get on his bad side.”

I describe what I saw in the forest, and after listening intently, Lee's team promises to watch themselves around Gaara.

“As for us,” Lee states. “We had a clash with those very Sound ninja there. Hinata and Shino were incapacitated, and Tenten could not fend them off alone. But with help from the three of us, they were driven away.”

On the last day, three more teams arrive. Ino's, Tenten's, and Kabuto's. I don't get a chance to talk to them before all of the passing candidates are called into formation in the middle of some kind of arena. The Hokage, several proctors, and all of the team instructors are also there.

The Hokage congratulates everyone and goes on for a while about the purpose of the exam.

As he finishes, a Chunin with terrible bags under his eyes appears before him.

“Lord Jiraiya,” he starts before having a coughing fit. He continues once he stops coughing. “We need to hold a preliminary round, as there are twenty-one contestants. We need to narrow the field before the finals.”

He addresses the genin. “My name is Hayate Gekko, and I'll be the proctor for the third stage of the exam. Unfortunately, we need to hold a sudden-death elimination round to cut down the number of contestants, so before then, if any of you feel that you are not in top physical condition, you are welcome to give up at this time.”

I certainly won't be giving up. Me and my teammates all got through the second test in great condition.

“I give,” I hear. It's Kabuto. “I'm just too beat up. I'm out.”

He leaves, and Hayate makes some marks on his forms.

“Alright, if that's it then we have twenty candidates left,” Hayate goes on. “Which means ten matches. We will set you up against each other randomly, and you will fight at full battle intensity until one side gives up or is unable to continue. If you are losing, I urge you to give up to avoid a fatal outcome. I will also occasionally intervene in a match I think is hopeless, to save any lives possible.”

A huge screen reveals itself. “Here we'll see the matchups,” Hayate explains.

“The first match will be Kin versus Tenten,” Hayate says as the results appear. “The rest of you, head up to the balconies at the sides of the arena.”

Kin and Tenten stay, while everyone else heads up.

I fistbump Tenten on my way up, then head over to her teammates.

“Hey,” I say as I approach Shino. “I heard things got pretty rough for you guys.”

“Indeed,” Shino remarks. “We were lucky to get out alive.”

Shino doesn't seem to want to talk anymore, and Hinata looks as if trying to talk to her will make her shatter into pieces, so I decide to just watch the match.

Kin has made the first move. She's thrown some senbon that Tenten dodges easily while making some hand sign I don't recognize.

It's then that both me and Tenten notice bells on the senbon, and wires connected to them. Kin pulls the wires, and I can Tenten starting to disorient. She pulls out some scrolls as she fails to dodge some senbon.

I stay silent and watch the match intently.

Kin starts going on about the effects of her jutsu, sound vibrations, and their effect on Tenten's motor skills.

Tenten laughs. “I'm pretty proud of my aim, you know. You just had to go and take it away.”

She pulls a bunch of weapons from the two scrolls she took out. “Unfortunately for you, if I can't make do with precision, I can supplement with volume.”

She begins throwing a hail of weapons toward Kin at a ridiculous rate. Kin was right, and her aim is off, but there is something strange about Kin as well. Some of her movements are strange. Like she's trying to dodge more weapons that are actually being thrown.

Eventually Kin takes a kunai right on her shoulder after not even trying to dodge it.

Next to me, Shino gives a slight chuckle.

“What's up?” I ask Shino. “Is something funny?”

“This is the first time Tenten has got to use this technique,” Shino explains. “Our instructor Kurenai Sensei is adept at genjutsu, and helped Tenten incorporate some into her fighting strategy.”

I think back and remember that hand sign Tenten made at the start. “You mean...?”

“That's right,” Shino goes on. “Kin has been under her genjutsu from the beginning, and now that she's throwing her weapons, it's taking effect. She's dodging weapons that aren't really there, and some that are may as well be invisible.”

I look back at the match. Kin is slowly becoming a pincushion, taking hits from weapons she doesn't know are there. Eventually, she's taken too many and collapses, likely from blood loss.

“The winner is Tenten!” Hayate announces.

As Kin is taken away on a stretcher, Tenten, now having been recovered, heads up to me and her team.

“Nice job!” I tell Tenten. I give her a high five.

“Thanks,” she replies, her smile rivaling mine. “I was kind of nervous since that was the first time I got to try that move, but everything worked out.”

The computer has randomized the next match, and it reads on the screen now.

“The next match will be...” Hayate announces: “Gaara versus Ino Yamanaka!”

The two contestants head into the ring, Ino looking more nervous by the second and Gaara just looking bored.

Well, this is concerning. I saw firsthand exactly what Gaara is capable of. I don't know exactly what it is Ino can do, but I doubt it can stand up to Gaara's sand.

I call out to Ino in the arena. “Ino, you need to forfeit, this guy doesn't mess around!”

Ino ignores me and seems to think I'm just trying to psyche her out. Next to me, Tenten gets curious. “What do you mean, Kon?”

I explain to her what I saw earlier. “Well, I don't know if we can just get her to quit straight away,” Tenten responds. “But we should make sure all the Jonin are ready to stop the match at least.”

As soon as the match starts, Ino throws some shuriken. Gaara's sand blocks them, but Gaara himself doesn't move. Seeing her chance, Ino strafes to the left and prepares a hand sign.

“Mind Transfer Jutsu!” Gaara raises what would have been an eyebrow as Ino uses her jutsu.

Once it hits, Ino's body slumps to the ground, while Gaara's hands begin to raise...

“What just happened?” I wonder out loud.

From a ways over, Shikamaru answers you. “It's her Mind Transfer Jutsu. Once it hits, Ino has complete control over the victim's body. It's easy to dodge, but by standing still, this guy sealed his own fate. Now Ino just has to have him forfeit.”

I look down and wonder if it could really be that easy. What I see confirms my suspicions that it cannot.

Something strange is happening to Gaara. His arms grasp his temples and he begins to wheeze.

“Gaaaahhh!” Gaara suddenly lets out a bloodcurdling scream and begins to shake violently. His skin looks like it begins to crack, and the sand around him whips into a violent frenzy.

The sand begins to surround Gaara's body as he gives an unsettling smile.

From the other balcony, I can see Gaara's siblings in a panic.

I watch as the sand continues to blob up around Gaara's body. I notice his arms struggling to form a hand sign. He manages to form it just before it envelopes his arm in sand with strange, purple veins covering it.

“Ino's released the jutsu!” I hear from Shikamaru.

Ino's formerly motionless body shoots up, and she begins scurrying for the farthest location from Gaara that she can find.

“I give up, please get me out of here!” she pleads, her voice wracked with terror. “There's a monster in there, he's a monster!”

The sand approaches Ino and begins to envelop her before her instructor Asuma steps in and knocks it away.

“It's over,” Asuma says. “You've terrified her enough.”

The sand around Gaara continues to pulse and writhe, before eventually calming down and falling off. When the sand finally clears, Gaara looks calm again.

Even from across the room, I can hear Kankuro's sigh of relief.

“The winner of the second match is Gaara,” Hayate announces.

Gaara returns to his spot on the other balcony as Asuma carries a shaking Ino to the infirmary.

“I don't know exactly what she saw, but I sure hope she'll be okay,” I hear Shikamaru's comment.

“Alright, now we'll randomize the next match,” Hayate announces.

The results appear on the screen.

“The third match will be Shino Aburame versus Sai,” Hayate calls the two competitors down.

Next to me, Shino begins to head for the arena.

“Good luck,” I tell Shino as he passes. I head back over to my team to find them still reeling from the last fight.

“What a stroke of bad luck for Ino,” Kiba says. “She almost died.”

“What could she have seen in Gaara's mind?” Sasuke wonders out loud.

Meanwhile, the match has started. Shino has bugs crawling out of him, while Sai has pulled out a scroll and brush.

“Go Sai!” I hear Lee and his Sensei, Guy, shouting. “Show him the power of youth!”

Sai draws on his scroll and a tiger made from ink comes out of it. The tiger leaps to attack Shino and is met with a wall of bugs that slowly eat away at it.

Sai goes to draw on his scroll again, and conjures snakes this time, and binds Shino's limbs. Sai then rushes in to close range and starts pummeling Shino with a flurry of punches and kicks, while the bugs are still eating away at the ink snakes, trying to get Shino free.

“I feel like Shino's not in as much trouble as he looks,” I say. “200 ryo says he pulls out a win.”

“What?” replies Kiba. “You're blind, Sai's got him on the ropes!”

“No,” states Sasuke. “Kon's right. Shino has already made his move.”

Back at the match, Shino has just broken free of Sai's binds and jumps away. Sai goes to draw something else, but only then notices what Shino has done.

Sai's scroll has been eaten away by bugs. There are currently bugs all over Sai.

Shino looks pretty beaten up, but I see him smirk.

“You could have had me if you stayed back and kept attacking with your ink creatures, wearing me down,” he explains. “But as soon as you came into melee range, it was over. Now those bugs will eat up all your chakra.”

Sai attempts to shake free of the bugs, but to no avail. In less than a minute, he's been drained dry of chakra and collapses.

“The winner of the third match is Shino!” Hayate announces.

As Sai and Shino leave the arena, the next match is decided.

“The fourth match will be Shikamaru Nara versus Misumi Tsurugi,” Hayate calls the two competitors down.

“Pay up, Kiba,” I state.

Kiba grumbles as he pulls 200 ryo from his bag and gives it to me.

“How about we go double or nothing?” I ask. “I got Shikamaru backed.”

“I don't think Kiba's stupid enough to take up that offer,” Sasuke interjects. “We don't even know this other guy, anyway.”

The two in question have arrived in the arena.

“Aw, man,” Shikamaru whines. “Now I've gotta fight. And Asuma Sensei isn't even back yet. What a drag.”

The two contestants face each other in the arena. Misumi calls out to his opponent.

“I've got some advice for you, kid,” he states. “Once I go into my jutsu, give up. If you do, I promise to make it quick and painless.”

Shikamaru quickly dismisses him. “Whatever.”

“Let the fourth match begin!” Hayate calls.

Shikamaru immediately jumps back into the shadow of the balcony, Misumi pursuing. As Shikamaru makes some hand signs, Misumi does something strange. His limbs extend and coil around Shikamaru.

“I've got you now,” Misumi boasts. “I could break your neck right now.”

“Why does everyone have all these super-special techniques?” I ask. "I feel a bit underprepared, all I have is enough tags to level the building."

“I'm sure that'll be enough for you to work with,” Sasuke states.

Back at the fight, Shikamaru smirks. “Who's got who now?”

Misumi suddenly freezes.

“I've got you caught in my Shadow Possession Jutsu,” Shikamaru explains. “And now that you've got your noodle limbs all stretched out, our body dimensions are totally different. You just screwed yourself big time.”

Shikamaru unfurls Misumi's limbs from around him, Misumi's arms trying ineffectually to mimic the movements from their abnormal positions. Once Shikamaru gets free, he makes a bunch of poses and watches Misumi flail around awkwardly.

“Oh man,” Shikamaru starts laughing. “This is hilarious. And I thought this fight was gonna be a drag.”

Misumi is foaming in anger from his uncomfortable position. “What do you think you're doing, you brat?”

“You're right,” Shikamaru sighs. “Let's wrap this up.”

He approaches Misumi and starts tangling his limbs all around each other. Misumi's forearms, being far from their usual positions, mimic Shikamaru's tying on the empty air. Once Shikamaru's jutsu wears off, Misumi is a tangled mess on the ground.

“The winner is Shikamaru Nara!” Hayate announces.

“Nice one, Shikamaru!” I laugh as Misumi is carried away and Shikamaru returns to his team.

The computer selects the next two competitors.

“The fifth match will be Dosu Kineta versus Rock Lee,” Hayate announces.

“Yes!” Lee shouts. “This is perfect! Not only is it my turn, but I also get to have a rematch against that Sound ninja!”

Lee jumps down to the arena. Guy Sensei also seems fired up. “Go, Lee! Let the power of youth explode! Show everyone the results of your training!”

“This idiot again?” Dosu grumbles. “I'll finish this quickly.”

I shoot Lee a thumbs up, which he returns.

“Let the fifth match begin!” Hayate announces.

No sooner has the match begun than Lee has rushes right up to Dosu. He's covering his ears with his hands and kicking at Dosu, who's blocking the kicks with the strange metal plate on his arm. The plate vibrates when hit.

“It's useless,” Dosu claims. “You can't cover your ears perfectly, some sound will eventually get in. Then you'll be finished.”

Lee leaps back, on top of the statue's hands to reassess the situation. “If I cannot endure your technique, or outrun it, I simply have to defeat you faster than you can use it!”

“Ridiculous,” Dosu states.

Guy Sensei's had a concerned look for a bit.

“Lee!” he shouts. “I don't like the look of his attack! So go ahead and outspeed him! Take them off!”

Lee's eyes somehow widen even further. “But Sensei, you said I could only take them off when the lives of very important people are at stake.”

“That's right I did,” Guy shoots Lee a thumbs up. “But this is an exception!”

Lee smiles. “Thank you, Guy Sensei!”

He takes off his leg warmers and takes off weights he had under them. He drops them over the edge. “This is better! Now I can move freely!”

He disappears faster than I can see, while his weights create craters as they hit the ground.

“Somehow it doesn't surprise me, coming from Lee,” I comment. “But it doesn't seem like it should be possible. At least I'm not fighting him.”

“No kidding,” Kiba adds. “And to think he was totally talentless back in the academy.”

Lee appears directly behind Dosu before he can even dream of defending.

“Your attack may move at the speed of sound, but you have to use it first,” Lee kicks Dosu straight up into the air.

“This move...” Dosu starts.

“That's right,” Lee says as he wraps Dosu in bandages. “It's my strongest technique, the Primary Lotus!” Lee and Dosu begin to spin. “And this time, there's no escape!”

Lee slams Dosu into the ground and hops back. Once the dust clears, the proctor clearly sees that Dosu won't be getting up.

“The winner of the fifth match is Rock Lee!” Hayate announces.

Lee leaps back up to Guy and hugs him, tears streaming down his face. “I did it Sensei, I did it!”

“That's right, Lee,” Guy says, also crying. “You've shown just how splendid a ninja you are.”

The next match is then revealed.

Zaku Abumi versus Temari.

“Oh, this oughta be good,” I comment. “I got another 200 on Temari.”

“I'm not betting against you again,” Kiba states. “Even if I was, I'd agree with you, those Sand ninjas are no joke.”

Down in the arena, the match has begun.

“Unbelievable,” Zaku complains. “I'm the only one left. Looks like it's all up to me to keep an eye on that monster brat of yours.”

“What are you talking about?” Temari asks. “Are you going to attack me, or should I just wrap this up quickly?”

“Oh, we'll be done quickly alright!” Zaku shouts as he thrusts his arms forward. “Slicing Soundwave!”

A burst of airheads straight for Temari. But with one movement, Temari dissipates it. She holds her fan, now slightly open, behind her.

“Is that it?” she scoffs.

“Wow, this Zaku guy really blows,” I joke.

Sasuke smacks the back of my head. “Stop that. I got enough of that from Sai back at the academy. I swear he's gonna be on about how Shino 'bugs' him forever now.”

I check back at the match. Zaku has tried his attacks repeatedly but to no avail. Temari's fan is now fully revealed.

“It's over,” she states. “Wind Scythe Jutsu!”

She swings her fan and a whirlwind whips up, surrounding Zaku. He's cut all over his body, stuck in the vortex with no escape. When the jutsu stops, Temari catches Zaku falling with the back of her fan, right in his back, then throws him down.

“The winner of the sixth match is Temari!” Hayate announces.

Temari heads back up, while Zaku's been carried away.

I stay silent as the next participants are revealed.

“The seventh match will be Sakura Haruno versus Choji Akimichi.”

Sakura heads down to the arena, but Choji stays where he is and whines. “I don't even want to fight. I'm just so hungry.”

Asuma recently returned, leans into Choji. “You know Choji, once this is over, we can go out for all you can eat barbecue.”

Choji shoots up, fire in his eyes. “Yes! I'll do it! All you can eat!”

He heads down into the arena across from Sakura.

“Let the match begin!” Hayate shouts.

“How about another 200 on Choji?” I ask.

“Fine. Whatever,” Kiba relents.

“Go Sakura!” Guy and Lee are cheering. “Let your power of youth bloom!”

Annoyed, Sakura shouts back. “Shut up, I know what I'm doing!”

Choji prepares his technique. “Expansion Jutsu!”

He expands into a giant sphere, Then starts rolling forward. “Human Boulder!”

Choji is hurtling toward Sakura, but she doesn't look worried. She dodges Choji faster than I thought she could move. Choji moves to pursue, but he's too slow. Eventually, Sakura dodges from right in front of a wall, and Choji crashes. Sakura then gives the immobile Choji the strongest punch she can manage. Choji deflates, unconscious.

“Just like that, Sakura!” Guy cheers. “That's using what I taught you!”

I sheepishly return 200 ryo to a laughing Kiba as Sakura goes back to her team.

Asuma comes down to get Choji. “Can we still get barbecue?” he groans.

Once the field is clear, the computer reveals the next match.

“The eighth match will be Kiba Inuzuka versus Kankuro,” Hayate announces.

From across the balconies, Kiba and Kankuro stare each other down.


	4. Chunin Exams Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our hero meets his new teacher, learns some new things about himself, and the Chunin Exams come to a close.

As Kiba heads down from the balcony, Kakashi Sensei, silent this whole time, finally speaks. “Well, it's about time one of you got your turn.”

Kiba and Kankuro stand across from each other while Akamaru hops down from his spot, preparing to fight.

“How about this coincidence, huh?” Kiba asks. “We get to settle it all right here.”

“That's right,” Kankuro responds. “I get to beat the shit out of you, after all. Then all three of us will move on to the finals, just like we promised.”

He takes the wrapped figure off his back and sets it beside him. “Let the match begin!”

“Go Kiba!” I cheer. “You got this!”

Kiba starts strong, using his All Fours Jutsu and rushing to attack Kankuro before he can unfurl whatever it is in those bandages. Late into his charge, he realizes his mistake, but by then he's too close.

As Kiba approaches, what looks like Kankuro's skin begins to crack and fall off. It seems to be some kind of puppet in disguise and slices Kiba with blades that emerge from its wrists.

As Kiba jumps back, the wrapping unfurls from the bundle Kankuro is carrying to reveal that it's actually Kankuro himself.

“Shame I had to use that trick for just that,” Kankuro says. “But I don't think I could have gotten away with it for long against you.”

Kankuro shoots some senbon from his puppet, which Kiba and Akamaru dodge.

“This guy probably can't take a hit himself very well,” Kiba tells Akamaru. "So let's go all out!"

He gives Akamaru that pill again and performs his Man-Beast Clone Jutsu.

I stay silent, hoping that Kankuro doesn't have too many tricks up his sleeve.

Kiba and Akamaru rush toward Kankuro, who maneuvers his puppet to defend him. He's skilled, as Kiba and Akamaru have to constantly evade the puppet's weapons and have trouble making progress. However, eventually Kiba gets a strong hit on the puppet and knocks it back, forcing Kankuro to retreat with it.

“We can bust this thing right now, Akamaru!” Kiba shouts. “Man-Beast Taijutsu: Fang Over Fang!”

A look of worry emerges on Kankuro's face as Kiba and Akamaru spiral forward. He's not sure if his puppet can take the hit.

I remain silent, anxious from the fight.

As Kiba and Akamaru approach, Kankuro does something I didn't expect. He moves his puppet out of the path of the attack, detaching only a single arm.

As Kiba and Akamaru pass over the arm, it releases a spray of senbon. That, however, doesn't stop their attack, and Kankuro is hit head-on.

Afterward, Kiba and Akamaru take notice of the senbon sticking all over their bodies and turn in time to see more on the way, Kankuro firing them from his puppet even from the ground.

Kiba manages to dodge, but Akamaru takes a few more senbon. Before Kiba can get back to him, Kankuro's puppet has Akamaru grappled. A giant needle emerges from the puppet's mouth and stabs Akamaru, returning him to his dog form.

Kankuro gets up on a knee.

“Don't take another step!” Warns Kankuro as his puppet holds its blades up to Akamaru. “If you do, your doggy here is gonna suffer the consequences. I don't feel like taking any more hits.”

“Let him go, you bastard!” Kiba shouts.

“Don't take too long to think about it,” Kankuro adds. “Those senbon were coated in poison, so you don't have much longer before you lose consciousness either.”

I stay silent, knowing the answer to the question Kiba is about to ask.

Kiba, outraged, lashes out at the official. “Hey, he can't do that, can he? Make him let Akamaru go!”

“Well...” Hayate responds. “The rules don't have anything in them disallowing this kind of situation.”

Kiba turns to Kankuro, his fists clenched and shaking. “How can you do this? Is this really how you want to win?”

“I have to win this match by any means necessary,” Kankuro replies. “I won't be the only one to lose here, I will fulfill my obligations.”

As Kiba grinds his teeth, Kankuro continues. “In the desert, you don't have the luxury of fighting with honor, you use every dirty trick you have to in order to survive. Just like our old man always said.”

“Alright,” Kiba relents, unclenching his fists. “I forfeit.”

“The winner of the eighth match is Kankuro!” Hayate announces.

As Kankuro's puppet sets Akamaru down, Kiba runs over to hold him. Kankuro reaches in his pouch and pulls out a vial, tossing it to Kiba. “That's the antidote. You're gonna want to get that to him as soon as possible.”

Kankuro wraps his puppet up and heads back to his team as Kiba starts to take Akamaru to the infirmary with the antidote.

I turn to Sasuke. “If one of us faces him in the finals, let's kick his ass.”

“Sure thing,” Sasuke agrees.

As the two speak of us speak, the next match comes up on the computer.

“The ninth match will be Yoroi Akado versus Kon Karagowa,” Hayate announces.

It's finally my turn. As I head down into the arena, I glance at Sasuke, but he isn't paying any attention to me or my opponent. All of his focus is elsewhere.

I arrive in the arena, across from my opponent, a man in a mask and strange glasses.

“I don't have time for you, I've got bigger fish to fry,” Yoroi dismisses me. “Namely that sand kid.”

“Let the match begin!” Hayate calls.

The first thing Yoroi does is form a hand sign.

I quickly toss out a tagged kunai, then draw my kyoketsu-shoge and start to approach.

Yoroi immediately reacts by intercepting the kunai with some shuriken, causing the tag to explode halfway between us.

As Yoroi strafes to the side, I throw out my weapon and tangle his outstretched right arm.

Yoroi however, just runs toward me and grabs me with his caught hand.

With that, I can feel my chakra being drained. It must be some kind of jutsu. I manage to push him off but feel a bit more tired. Yoroi comes to approach again, his arm still caught.

As Yoroi approaches, I get ready with the knife end of my weapon.

He notices late, but ducks and only gets grazed in the shoulder. He pulls a kunai with his offhand and locks with my weapon, as he continues to try and grab for me with his caught hand to drain my chakra.

I let Yoroi get closer, and smack my head right into his face. Now off balance, I use this opportunity to sweep his legs, landing him flat on his back.

As he tries to get back up, I slap an explosive tag right on him. In a panic, he jumps up and tries to remove the tag, but I pull him down by his caught arm and the tag goes off.

When the smoke clears, Yoroi is in no condition to get back up.

“The winner of the ninth match is Kon Karagowa!” Hayate announces.

“A true ninja should always watch his footing,” I say, I can hear a "Pssh" from Shikamaru up the balcony.

I head back up and try to make a comment to Sasuke. “I better see you in the finals.”

Sasuke ignores me and heads straight down to the arena for his match. I notice that he has left his sword behind.

With Kiba still gone, I decide to head over to Tenten's team and watch my teammate's last match together. Tenten herself looks kind of nervous.

Down in the arena, Hayate calls to start. “Let the final match begin!”

Making sure to keep a hold on Sasuke's sword, I go up to Tenten.

“What's wrong?” I ask, as something is clearly bothering her.

“Oh, Kon,” Tenten replies, “I'm worried about Hinata. Something happened back in the forest, and she's been getting occasional pain ever since. She told me she was fine, but I think she just didn't want us to worry. I don't know if she should be fighting.”

Back in the arena, the match has started, but nothing's happened. Hinata looks unsure of herself, and Sasuke looks like he's losing his patience.

Sasuke gets into a stance and even activates his Sharingan.

“What are you waiting for?” he calls. “Attack me!”

Somewhat reluctantly, Hinata gets into her stance. With what looks like a twinge of pain, she activates her byakugan.

She dives in and starts attacking Sasuke with the Hyuuga's Gentle Fist style, but it looks weak. Sasuke easily weaves in and out of the blows. After a bit, he punches back, but not particularly hard. I can see his heart's not in it.

This continues for a while, Sasuke dodging all of Hinata's blows and occasionally knocking her down. Eventually, she stops getting up.

“Get up!” he calls.

I see in Sasuke's eyes that he's irritated. “Are you just going to let everyone be right about you being weak? I know you at least had something!”

I didn't expect Sasuke to get this emotional.

“You've wavered, Hinata. Before, no matter what, your eyes were looking far away. People thought you were just avoiding them, but I know. They were looking at someone you couldn't reach.”

Sasuke is staring straight into Hinata's eyes. “I know, Hinata. Our eyes are similar. What is it that has made you doubt?”

At this, Hinata gets back up into her stance, but something is wrong. She grasps the back of her neck as strange marks begin to cover her body.

“Oh, no,” Tenten mutters.

“Wait, what's going on?” I ask.

“It's that mark,” Tenten replies. “Back in the forest we were attacked by a Grass ninja, but it was just a disguise. Once Shino's bugs ate the disguise away, it was this guy in a red and black cloak. As soon as she saw him, Hinata went berserk and attacked him recklessly. The guy did something and bit her, leaving that mark on her neck.”

Nearby, Kakashi Sensei is worried. “It can't be...”

Some swirling purple chakra surrounds Hinata; she gasps in pain. 

Sasuke approaches her. “So it was this, Hinata? The pain from this mark has made you falter?”

I can see the proctors getting ready to step in.

Sasuke grabs Hinata by her shoulders. “You'll never reach that person if you give in! That person has surely endured pain, and become strong! If you succumb now, you'll never reach them! Take this pain, and become stronger! Stop giving up!”

At this, the mark stops spreading. Hinata manages to stand, before grasping her neck in pain again.

“Is that ink?” I wonder aloud. “A sealing jutsu?”

“The curse seal,” Kakashi answers, “It can only mean one thing.”

Suddenly, a cloaked figure appears between Sasuke and Hinata. I recognize it as the ANBU I saw with the Hokage before. He taps Hinata's body a few times, and she falls to the ground, unconscious.

He picks Hinata up and addresses the approaching Hokage. “Lord Jiraiya, Lady Hinata will be out for some time.”

“Good,” the Hokage replies. “Follow me, we'll deal with that seal immediately.”

“Hayate!” he calls back to the proctor. “This match goes to Sasuke. I leave the rest here to you.”

The Hokage and Hinata, carried by the ANBU, disappear down a corridor.

After the Hokage leaves, Hayate addresses the room.

“The winner of the final match is Sasuke Uchiha!” he announces. “With that, we have finished the preliminary elimination round! Can all the winning competitors please come to the floor?”

Me, Sakura, Lee, Shino, Tenten, Shikamaru, Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari join Sasuke in the center of the arena.

“Congratulations,” Hayate tells the group. “The ten of you will all be competing in the final round one month from today.”

Hayate goes on to reiterate the purpose of the exam, and explain about all the various VIPs that will be attending to watch the matches.

Hayate motions to Anko, who is holding a box. She approaches me and tells me to take a single strip of paper. I do so, as does the rest of the competitors. I look at the number on my strip.

1

After everyone reveals their numbers, Ibiki shows the bracket.

Kon Karagowa v Rock Lee  
\  
]-  
/ \  
Sakura Haruno v Tenten

Kankuro v Shino Aburame  
\ /  
]-  
/   
Shikamaru Nara v Temari

Gaara v Sasuke Uchiha ]-

So I have to fight an extra match. And I'm up against Lee right out of the gate.

I look to Lee, “Let's have a good match when we face each other, Lee.”

He shoots you a thumbs up, “Indeed! It should be most exciting!”

Hayate goes on, “Use this time to train and maybe pick up some new tricks. Good luck to you all.”

With that, everyone leaves. Me, Sasuke, and Kakashi head to see Kiba and Akamaru in the infirmary, confirming that they're okay.

“How's it going Kiba?” I ask.

“Well, that antidote fixed us right up at least,” he sighs, “Sure sucks being out of the running though. You guys both won your matches though, right?”

I tell him what happened in my and Sasuke's matches. Sasuke remains silent.

“Alright boys, you all get home and get some rest,” Kakashi Sensei tells us. “Kiba, you take this month easy if you like. Sasuke, I'll see you tomorrow for our training.”

Sasuke takes his sword back from me, then both he and Kiba leave, leaving me with Sensei.

“Okay, Kon,” he starts. “I know what you're thinking. But Sasuke can get more out of training with me than you can. I'll call in some favors and maybe even do a little groveling, but trust me, I'll get you set up with a teacher that can put you on a level playing field with the rest of these kids. Just show up at our usual spot tomorrow morning.”

I agree, knowing that Kakashi is right about Sasuke. Sensei says he'll try and check in on my progress.

I head home and relax over dinner, telling Uncle about the exams.

The next morning, I'm at the spot. After a few minutes of waiting, I see a kid run by, a Jonin chased after him.

“No way Ebisu, I don't want to train with you!” the kids screams as he runs.

The Jonin, Ebisu, shouts after him. “Konohamaru, it's just for a month! You just need to bear with me!”

I ignore them, my priorities being training.

Eventually, the kid comes up to me and points at me.

“Hey, you!” he shouts. “It's you, isn't it? You're the one who's making me train with Ebisu for a month!”

Before the kid can mouth off any more, a familiar old man comes from behind him and grabs him.

“That's enough, Konohamaru,” he says before addressing me. “Sorry about my grandson, he's a bit spoiled and wanted me all to himself.”

“Oh, it's no trouble at all,” I respond politely.

Looking at his face again, I recognize him.

“Wait a minute... The Third Hokage?” I utter in shock. “Are you my teacher?”

“That's right,” he responds. “I'll be training you for this month. During which, please call me Sarutobi Sensei. Or Master, if you prefer. But please, don't address me as Third. You are my student now, after all.”

He hands his pouting grandson over to Ebisu and turns back to me.

“So you're Kakashi's student are you?” he ponders aloud. “Kon Karagowa. Sounds familiar somehow.”

“Perhaps you remember my parents, Sarutobi Sensei?” I inquire. “I didn't know them, as they were killed in the Nine-Tails attack, but I do know my father was from another village. Maybe that's why it sounds familiar.”

A look of realization comes onto the Third's face. He begins to laugh.

“Sorry, Kon,” he apologizes once he stops laughing. “It's just that Kakashi mentioned you being concerned about being outclassed in this exam.”

“And this year indeed has plenty of strong candidates, but what was funny is that your pedigree is greater than you realize. Your mother, Saeko, was one of Jiraiya's students. He likely never brought it up himself for obvious reasons. I'd hate to dredge up the thought that all three of his students died in the same attack on the village that he wasn't here for. Your father, Katsuo, was the son of a prestigious family from the Village Hidden in the Stones. He was disowned for not having their explosion release kekkei genkai, and made his way here towards the end of my initial tenure.”

All this information is a lot for me to process at once...

“Thank you for telling me about them, Sensei.” I manage to say, still a bit overwhelmed.

“As for training,” the Third starts. “Kakashi has mentioned your interest in learning your chakra nature. So to find out exactly what we are capable of training, I brought this.”

He reaches into his pouch and pulls out some paper. “This paper is especially reactive to chakra. Hold it and focus your chakra, and it will react differently depending on your chakra nature. If it ignites, you are fire. If it becomes damp, you are water. If it crumbles, you are earth. If it is cut, you are wind. And if it crumbles, you are lightning.”

He holds out the paper to me. I take the paper and focus my chakra as the Third said, hoping for it to somehow explode. The paper begins to crumble.

“As I expected,” The Third says. “You inherited your father's lightning nature. Unfortunately, he had no affinity with earth, but with wind. So he could not have passed explosion release onto you.”

He is about to go on, but then looks down at the paper again. It's split along the creases that formed while crumpling, and falls to the ground like confetti, leaving a single shard in my hand.

“Well that's new,” the Third mutters.

“What happened?” I ask. “Did I get two natures?”

The Third thinks for a bit. “Even if you inherit more than one nature, this paper will only show your primary nature. Kekkei genkai are the only exception. I've never heard of lightning and wind release combining before. This must be a new mutation. Unique cases like this have happened, most famously of the First Hokage's wood release. I believe the Village Hidden in the Sand also had a unique case like this.”

“What does it do?” I ask.

My teacher smiles, “We'll have to find out.”

He walks over to a training log. “Focus your chakra and try to release it on this log. It may be difficult and take some time, but that's okay.”

I begin to focus on my chakra and think about how to release it.

I build up as much chakra as I can, and release it all in front of me.

A huge burst of energy slams into the log and sends it flying. Unfortunately, the Third is also hit. He holds his ground but looks like he is stuck somehow.

“It seems your release has some sort of stunning effect,” he says while trying to regain movement. “From what I can tell, that blast was a huge impact of concussive force.”

After recovering, Sarutobi Sensei thinks for a bit. “This new release does need a name. How about... Shock release?”

“I'd like to wait to name it, Sensei,” I say. “I want to see all of what it can do first.”

“Understandable,” the Third replies. “Now that we have that out of the way, we can begin your training.”

Before today, I had been nervous about my chances in the finals, but with these new revelations, I feel like I might just be able to take the whole thing.

\--

For the first few days of my training, Sarutobi Sensei decides to shore up my most blatant weakness: my susceptibility to genjutsu. One month is not nearly enough time to gain any actual proficiency, so I focus only on dispelling genjutsu. After a few days of being bombarded by illusions, I can now reliably dispel them, given I realize they are illusions, at least.

“Alright,” my teacher addresses me. “With that, we have covered your greatest vulnerability. I imagine you want to spend a portion of the remaining time working on your new release, so that leaves us with time for two more areas of focus. We can train one of your attributes, and I can teach you a new jutsu. Any jutsu I know, provided I feel as though I can trust you with it.”

“I'd like to work on my speed, so I can keep up with Lee,” I reply. “Can you also teach me the Summoning Jutsu?”

My teacher looks surprised. “The speed I understand, that's a logical focus. But wanting to learn Summoning at your level is very interesting.”

He thinks for a bit. “You could learn to summon now, but I can't imagine that you could really utilize it in these battles. It requires a great amount of chakra to perform. You could do it, but you would likely not be able to fight afterward, without much training.”

I decide to ask the Third his opinion. “What do you think I should learn, Sensei?”

“Don't misunderstand,” he replies, “The Summoning Jutsu is a technique of unparalleled usefulness. And learning it at such a young age can only help you master it. But if you intend to use it in the competition, you will likely not be able to manage. A lightning or wind element jutsu would perhaps fare you better. The choice, however, is ultimately up to you.”

I eventually arrive at a conclusion. “I think I want to learn a wind technique, then.”

“Very well,” the Third says as he stretches. “Now watch closely.”

My teacher demonstrates a wind technique, Wind Release: Vacuum Wave. The user spins while exhaling, and a blade of air cuts anything around them. I learn the hand signs, and with my chakra control, it doesn't take long for me to learn to use the move efficiently. Over the next couple of weeks, I also work hard to improve my speed, and I believe I'm beginning to approach Lee.

The last week of my training, I decide once again to focus on my release, as it may be my trump card.

“Alright, Kon,” Sarutobi Sensei addresses me. “Time for me to stretch these old bones a bit. Come at me with your new release.”

I try using hand seals to focus my chakra. It's a lot of trial and error to find what works, but I eventually develop hand seals for my new release that efficiently utilize my chakra, allowing me to use it more times consecutively.

My usage of it at this point is mostly limited to emitting my release as a blast in a wide arc in front of me and imbuing it in my hands and feet to make shockwaves on impact. It needs some work, but I feel like these moves will come in handy.

After the month is over, I feel confident. I am much faster, and my hand seals have improved as a result of using my new release. Not to mention my chakra control.

“And so our training together comes to an end,” my teacher sighs, “For now, at least. Perhaps we will get a chance to train again in the future. I enjoyed having you as my pupil. Now go and enjoy your last day before the competition. After all, if I recall correctly, isn't it your birthday as well?”

That's right. It's my birthday, August 10th. I turn thirteen today.

I thank the Third for his tutelage and invite him to my uncle's restaurant. He laughs and says he'll consider it before leaving.

I decide to invite all my friends over as well. I find Kiba at his house and he tells me he'll be over later for sure.

Kakashi and Sasuke are nowhere to be found, unfortunately. I do manage to locate Tenten at her shop, apparently resting for the day. She agrees to come by later as well, telling me that Shino and Hinata are likely too busy to join.

I don't seem to be able to find any of Lee's team and assume they must be training hard.

I want to see if Haku can come by, so I stop by where he has been staying, the Yamanaka residence. The ground floor is a flower shop, and I approach the lady at the counter who I believe to be Ino's mother.

“Excuse me,” I ask. “Is Haku here?”

“Oh, you know Haku?” she replies. “Well, Ino dragged him along to visit her teammate Choji in the hospital. I think she's trying to get him to socialize more.”

The woman lets me know which room to go to. I thank her and then head to the hospital. Strangely, when I arrive there doesn't seem to be anybody there. A sign on the desk says "Out to lunch". I continue undaunted, to Choji's room, where I find him, Shikamaru, Ino, and Haku. Shikamaru and Haku are playing shogi.

“Kon,” Haku greets me. “It's been too long.”

I return Haku's greeting while greeting Ino's team. I also ask about Choji's condition.

“Oh, it's just some stomach problems,” he explains, “I ate too much meat too fast. I should be good to go before the end of the day, though.”

“Well, how would you all like to come to my uncle's restaurant to celebrate my birthday?” I ask.

Choji jumps up immediately. “Oh, I'll be there!”

“I would love to come,” Haku replies.

Ino and Shikamaru also agree to tag along. Before anyone can say anything more, the sand in Shikamaru's hourglass stops.

“So you've finally shown yourself, after lurking around for so long,” I hear Haku say.

I turn to see that Gaara has entered the room. Ino begins to shudder.

“Hey there Gaara, how's it going?” I greet him politely. “Did you need something?”

Gaara replies calmly, “Ever since that girl went mucking around in my head, I've wanted to kill her. So I came to do just that. If you guys get in my way, I'll kill you too.”

Everyone in the room looks anxious. Ino is trembling too much to fight, but Shikamaru and Haku are preparing themselves. Choji has none of his gear with him but looks ready to fight regardless.

I, however, am well aware that even if all of us together could beat Gaara, fighting in this small room would spell certain death for some of us before we could stop him.

I want to avoid fighting here, so I try and talk him down.

“Hey Gaara, didn't you get on Kankuro earlier about starting fights outside of the exams? Didn't you say it brought shame to the village?”

“I don't care about the exams or the village,” Gaara replies coldly. “I live only to kill. From the time I was a young boy, I have continued to kill. Even coming into this world, I took the life of the woman who gave birth to me. So as I came to life by killing, so too do I continue to sustain that life by killing. It is my purpose. And I won't stop until I kill every last person in this world.”

I try to keep going with this, “And then what? Sure you'd be satisfied for a while, but it wouldn't last and you know it. What you do to people, how you're living your life? You'll never find a satisfying end to it, and you'll never feel at peace.”

“Haven't you considered if you really have to solve everything with murder? Because the rest of us find ways.”

“I don't care.” Gaara looks like he's getting irritated, “I once had a great purpose, to be the salvation of my village. But they became afraid of me. My father has sent more assassins after me than I can count. So I gave myself a new purpose from killing them. It's the only thing that makes me feel alive.”

Gaara stops talking. His sand begins to approach, and we get ready before the room door opens to reveal Asuma.

“You again?” he asks, irritated. “Get out of here. I don't want you around my students.”

Reluctantly, Gaara leaves the room. “I will kill you all, remember that.”

All of us breathe a sigh of relief. Ino also manages to calm down after a couple of minutes. Asuma tells Choji that he's free to check out now, so Choji starts to get his things together.

“Well, it's pretty late in the afternoon already,” Shikamaru comments. “So let's just head straight over to your place right now.”

Ino and Haku seem to agree, and Asuma tells us all to have fun and stay out of trouble before heading to leave.

“Asuma Sensei,” I call after him. “If you want, you can join us at my uncle's restaurant for my birthday party.”

Asuma stops, “Well, your uncle's not a ninja, so I guess I could chaperon you guys. Why not? I'll tag along.”

All of us leave the hospital and head to the restaurant. When we arrive Kiba and Tenten are already there, waiting anxiously so they can start on the delicious-looking spread that uncle has laid out.

“About time you got here!” Kiba laughs, “Let's eat already!”

Everyone starts eating with gusto, congratulating me and making conversation.

Soon enough, two more figures walk into the building.

“Happy birthday, bro!” Konohamaru congratulates me, his grandfather behind him. He seems to be completely over the fact that he missed out on a month of training with his grandfather.

Everyone else looks over at the former Hokage in surprise, save for Asuma who just looks awkward.

“Wait, what?” Tenten stammers. “Why is the Third Hokage at your birthday party, Kon?”

“We came because we were invited of course,” the Third laughs.

I fistbump with Konohamaru. “Kakashi Sensei was busy training Sasuke this month, so he said he'd get me the best teacher he could find,” I explain. “And man, did he ever.”

All my peers are shocked, and start asking me tons of questions that I can't keep track of.

“I can't believe you'd actually go out of your way for individual training like that, dad,” Asuma says. “Kakashi must have called in a whole lot of favors.”

Everyone continues eating and eventually settles down.

Tenten is currently asking the Third something, while Kiba and Konohamaru goof around. Ino and company are all still watching Choji eat, as he shows no signs of slowing, even though he just got out of the hospital.

I head over to Ino's group. Choji addresses me as I approach.

“Kon, your uncle's food is great!” Choji says between mouthfuls. “I need to come here more often.”

“So you never told us the Third was your dad, Sensei,” Shikamaru notes. “You'd think that would be something you'd mention.”

“Well, we're not exactly close,” Asuma answers. “Had a bit of a rebellious phase when I was younger and ran away. We're on a bit better terms these days, though.”

Ino has been quiet this whole time, content to hang on Haku. Haku seems to be taking it in stride, as he's just listening to the conversation comfortably.

I decide to continue making the rounds, and head over to Tenten and Sarutobi Sensei. When I approach, they're already deep in a conversation.

“So it's kind of like the opposite of my technique then?” Tenten asks.

“You could say that,” the Third goes on. “As opposed to summoning weapons to them, they reverse-summoned themselves to their weapons. They called it the Flying Thunder God technique.”

“That's so cool!” Tenten's eyes sparkle.

Sarutobi Sensei turns to me “Ah, Kon. Don't worry, I haven't given away any of your secrets to your competitor here,” he laughs.

“Sounds like you guys were talking about summoning,” I say. “I was kind of interested in that myself.”

“Well, we may just get a chance to practice it yet, Kon,” the Third responds. “My schedule is usually fairly open.”

“Could I reverse summon other people?” Tenten asks.

“You could, so long as you put a seal on them,” Sarutobi Sensei answers. “But that's not really something you could make use of in the battles tomorrow.”

“Speaking of which,” I turn to Tenten. “How do you feel about your match with Sakura tomorrow?”

“She's seen one of my best tricks, so I'm a bit nervous,” Tenten replies. “I might have to improvise, so who knows how that will play out. But I'll try my best!”

By this time, everyone is done eating and is winding down.

I head over towards Kiba and Konohamaru. Konohamaru is playing with Akamaru while Kiba watches them.

“How was your month without the team, Kiba?” I ask.

“Oh dude, it was so boring,” Kiba groans. “I did some training with my family occasionally, but without you guys I had so little motivation. I mostly ended up taking it easy like Kakashi Sensei suggested.”

We talk a bit more, but soon enough everyone begins to head out. I say my goodbyes, and wished luck before I say goodnight to my uncle and head upstairs to get a good night's sleep before the big day.

The next morning, I wake up feeling good. I notice, however, that I slept in and there's only an hour until the competition.

I grab a snack to eat on the way, and head off running.

I head off in the opposite direction of the arena, confident that I'm fast enough to go somewhere else first.

In a few minutes, I arrive. I'm at the memorial for Leaf ninja killed in action. Both of my parent's names are on here. I've visited several times before, but this time is different. I feel like I really know them now. Not to mention my trial today.

I'm in a hurry though, so I quickly pay my respects and leave.

By the time I get to the arena, I have only a couple of minutes left. All the other competitors have lined up on the field. Except for Sasuke that is, who is suspiciously absent.

I take my place. Next to me, Shikamaru speaks up. “Hey, what's up with Sasuke?”

“He's probably off doing Sasuke things, as usual,” I answer.

Hayate speaks up, “We're about to start, so stand up straight.”

I do so, and notice the huge crowd filling the stands. They'll all be watching the matches.

Jiraiya steps forward, “Welcome everyone to the Village Hidden in the Leaves. We will now begin the Chunin Selection Exam. Ten candidates have made it to this final round, so enjoy the matches.”

“Alright, the rules are the same as the preliminary elimination round. Everyone besides Rock Lee and Kon Karagowa please go to the waiting area,” Hayate instructs.

They do so, leaving me and Lee facing each other.

“Good luck,” I tell Lee.

He nods, “To you as well, Kon. I hope this will be a great match.”

“First round: first match, begin!” Hayate announces as he jumps back.

I quickly put down some smoke bombs to obscure Lee's vision as he takes off with all the speed I saw before. He must have come with the weights off to start this time.

I start throwing out tagged kunai and wires all across the arena. Not so much to actually hit him, but to control his movement a bit.

As he approaches, I throw more kunai to delay him, which he just dodges fairly easily.

Soon, the field is swarmed with traps, but Lee is almost right up on me. He's deftly avoided all the traps I've set up so far, and advanced up to me. I need to do something immediately or I'm about to get pummeled.

I make some hand signs and prepare my jutsu. As Lee approaches, he takes note and tries to juke around and attack from behind me, but it's no use.

I take a deep breath and start spinning. “Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!” I exhale and blades of wind surround me. They cut at Lee and push him back, surprised.

Lee has to land on his hands to narrowly avoid one of my tags.

“A wind technique?” Lee asks. “That is definitely new. I will have to work much harder!”

He reorients himself as I stop spinning. He takes off again, but slower this time, avoiding all of my traps.

I continue to set even more traps, while throwing some kunai Lee's way to trigger some that I've already set.

Even moving as fast as he can, Lee is still getting singed by the explosions. He seems to be held down, but suddenly he gets a burst of speed and is right up on me.

His punch grazes me, but I set off a nearby explosive that forces him to dodge before he can follow through.

The field is now almost completely rigged with my traps, and Lee is barely able to move. Lee looks like he's at a loss.

“Kon,” he addresses me. “At this rate, I will certainly lose a slow and painful match. Therefore, my only choice is to use my new technique. I must apologize, as even if I win, I may be unable to continue the exam after this technique. I would feel terrible, but I would feel worse if I do not give it my all here!”

Lee takes a stance and begins to focus. His skin turns red, and veins bulge out on his forehead. “The third Gate, the Gate of Life, open!”

The ground around him begins to crack as he starts to move, and in the blink of an eye, he's gone.

I go ahead and set off all my traps at once to try and slow Lee down, then get ready for his attack.

It's now or never. I concentrate my chakra in my hands. If I can create shockwaves when I hit something, I should be able to do it when something hits me.

Lee appears in front of me, injured from the traps, but still looking stronger than ever. I get my hands up just in time for his punch, and use my new release.

Lee's punch goes right through me and hits me straight in the gut. It's the strongest hit I've ever taken, and I double over.

Lee, however, bowls back as his hit connects.

He grasps his right arm, “Ah! What is happening?” He is having trouble getting going again, and his arm looks a bit off.

I manage to stand again.

I decide that I need to keep the pressure on him while I can. I build up my chakra, forming hand signs, then blast Lee with my release.

“Gah!” Lee yells as he's blasted back and hits the ground. He twitches all over, but can't get up.

I throw some wired kunai and bind him while he's still immobile. Only after I've done so do I notice the roar of the crowd. They're going crazy.

Unable to move, Lee seems to have dropped out of his technique. Hayate walks over to inspect him.

“Rock Lee can battle no further!” Hayate announces. “The winner of this match is Kon Karagowa!”

Lee, tired but still conscious, addresses me. “I had no idea you were so strong, Kon. I barely got a hit on you. It seems I will have to train that much harder to catch up to you.”

“And I'll be happy to give you a rematch at that time,” respond. “In fact, I'll hold you to it. It'll be fun.”

I shoot him a thumbs up. He smiles and tries to return it, but winces in pain moving his arm.

The medics come in and examine him.

“Oh man, your arm got busted up pretty bad,” the medic tells him. “You'll have to keep it in a cast for weeks. This kid sure did a number on you.”

They carry Lee off on a stretcher, and I head back up to the waiting area.

“What was that, Kon?” Tenten asks. “Was that some new jutsu? I've never seen anything like it?”

“It's a secret,” I respond. “I might tell you after our match. But don't you have another one to win right now?”

At that, Hayate calls Tenten and Sakura down to the field.

“Alright,” Tenten relents. “But you're gonna tell me what that was all about sooner or later!”

I wish her good luck, and she along with Sakura head down to the arena.

Shikamaru slides up next to me. “Pretty slick moves out there, Kon. I guess getting the Third Hokage to teach you has quite the benefits. I don't think anyone saw that coming from you.”

“And a wind technique, huh?” Temari speaks up from across the room. “I might just have to put you in your place. Too bad we're on opposite sides of the bracket.”

I look down at the arena. Tenten and Sakura stand across from each other, sizing each other up.

“First round, second match: Tenten versus Sakura Haruno, begin!” Hayate announces.

Right off the bat, Tenten makes some hand signs again, while Sakura looks like she focuses for a moment before preparing her hand signs.

Tenten pulls out some scrolls, then starts her hail of thrown weapons again. Sakura is wise to her strategy, however. She makes a familiar hand sign and dispels Tenten's genjutsu.

“You didn't think I'd fall for that after I've already seen you do it before, did you?” Sakura asks as she draws her kunai.

Sakura is deflecting or dodging every weapon Tenten throws at her, once again moving faster than I had believed she could. Tenten's aim is as perfect as ever, but at this rate, she'll never land a single hit.

I stay silent, focusing on the match. There's no way Tenten doesn't have something else in mind.

She pulls out two more scrolls. “There's no way you can dodge these.”

She jumps up and unravels the scrolls, which release two pillars of smoke in the shape of two dragons. “Rising Twin Dragons!” She starts throwing an even greater barrage of weapons at an insane rate. Sakura couldn't possibly dodge or deflect them all.

Yet Sakura gets a burst of speed reminiscent of Lee's in our fight. She can move about the arena faster than Tenten can aim, and deflects any stray weapons that manage to make their way to her.

As Tenten's attack ceases, she pulls on threads connected to all of the weapons she had thrown and whips them around toward Sakura.

Sakura merely retreats to safety yet again, before dashing up to Tenten herself.

“You're just not fast enough to hit me,” She gloats. “If there's one thing I can give Guy Sensei, it's that he knows how to make people stronger.”

Tenten gets a weapon ready, but Sakura runs circles around her, and Tenten can't get a hit in.

“Go Tenten!” I cheer. “Don't let her beat you! She's too cocky, take her down a peg!”

But I stop my cheers as Sakura gets past Tenten's guard and lands a solid hit straight in her gut. Tenten nearly coughs up some blood, though she covers her mouth with her hand.

“You should stop now, Tenten,” Sakura remarks. “I don't want to do that any more than necessary, and you can't exactly defend yourself.”

As Sakura approaches again, Tenten pulls some wires that wrap around both herself and Sakura, binding them together.

Sakura struggles to get free, striking Tenten however she can. None of the hits are clean, but Tenten is still taking a beating.

Eventually, Tenten releases the wires and Sakura jumps back. At this point, Tenten keels over, clearly in a lot of pain. She throws out a few shurikens, but Sakura just hops back.

“I can dodge all of your hits, and you can't dodge any of mine.” Sakura goes on, “Let's stop before you get seriously hurt”

Tenten looks up and grins. At this point, I notice Sakura's back. It's hard to see on her red clothes, but something is drawn there in blood.

An even wider grin than usual stretches across my face, “Clever girl...”

Tenten readies all the weapons attached to the wires, and Sakura starts to jump back again.

“You're just going to keep trying, huh?” Sakura asks. “I'll just dodge again, you know.”

As she begins to do so, Tenten makes some hand signs and places her palm on the ground. “Reverse Summoning Jutsu!”

Sakura disappears in a cloud of smoke, only to reappear directly in the path of Tenten's weapons. Sakura tries to dodge, but from her new position, but she's been surrounded. They assail and cut her up from all sides repeatedly, before she eventually falls to the ground, unconscious.

Hayate goes over to inspect. “Sakura Haruno has lost consciousness. Tenten wins the match!”

The crowd cheers again. Tenten, still in pain, wastes no time getting back up to the waiting area, as the medics carry Sakura off.

I hold out my fist with a huge grin on my face as Tenten approaches. She returns it, and then I congratulate her.

“Way to go!” I praise. “You just learned about that yesterday and you used it in battle flawlessly!”

“Heh, yeah,” she blushes. “I was actually at the end of my rope there, but I've always been pretty good at seals, so I figured if I was going to wing it, that was as good as anything, right? That girl hits like a truck though, I'm still reeling.”

The spectators are all talking. They seem upset, as the contestants for the next match aren't here.

“So what's up?” Shikamaru asks from my right. “Is Sasuke gonna be disqualified or what? It's time for his match, and he's not here.”

“I blame Kakashi Sensei, he's never on time. It might be another hour before he shows up,” I say. “They could postpone it, though.”

“Maybe,” Shikamaru notes, “In fact, his brother can probably convince the Hokage to hold the whole thing.”

After a bit, Hayate addresses the stands. “The match between Gaara and Sasuke Uchiha will be postponed. We will move to the other matches remaining in this round first. Kankuro and Shino Aburame, please come down to the arena.”

Shino begins to move, but then Kankuro speaks up, “I withdraw. Please move on to the next match.”

The spectators all groan and boo.

Shino looks irritated, and Shikamaru has just got a whole lot more stressed.

I'm irritated at Kankuro too, but shift my attention to Shikamaru instead.

“Looks like you're up next. Try and buy me some time to rest will you?” I laugh.

Temari whips out her fan and glides down into the arena. The spectators are all booing, still impatient.

“Why shouldn't I just drop out right now, huh?” Shikamaru responds. “I don't even want to fight, this is such a drag.”

Tenten speaks up, “Oh no you don't, you're not getting out of this one. We already fought our matches, and you will too.” With that, Tenten shoves Shikamaru off the balcony and he falls into the arena.

He just lays there for a while, looking pretty irritated himself. The crowd even starts throwing trash at him from the stands while making all manner of remarks at him.

“Good job Shikamaru, keep wasting time like that!” I yell down at him. Seems that wasn't very amusing for him. 

After a while of waiting, Temari gets impatient. “That's it, if you won't attack, I will!”

She ignores Hayate's objection about not starting the match yet, and dashes toward Shikamaru. She slams her fan down on the ground where Shikamaru was laying, only to find him hanging off the wall.

“You know, I don't really care about becoming a Chunin,” Shikamaru tells her. “But I guess I shouldn't just let myself be beaten by a girl. So let's go.”

Temari gets angry and swings her fan at Shikamaru. He's gone, however, as only two kunai remain after the dust clears. Shikamaru has retreated to the trees on the other side of the arena. Likely trying to lure Temari into the shadows.

She isn't falling for it, and Shikamaru shows no signs of moving.

I stay silent, while Tenten chuckles beside me, “Way to waste time, Shikamaru.”

Eventually, Temari gets fed up and swings her fan again, “Wind Scythe Jutsu!”

The wind cuts at everything, breaking branches and such. But right after her attack, Shikamaru tries one of his own.

“Shadow Possession Jutsu!” Shikamaru stretches his shadow out to try and catch Temari, but she hops back. Eventually, the shadow stops, unable to move any farther.

Temari draws a line in the dirt with her fan, “So here it is, your jutsu's range. As long as I stay behind this line, you can't touch me.”

“You got me,” Shikamaru grins. He takes up some weird stance, with his hands in a circle. It doesn't seem like a hand sign. I have no idea what he's doing. And he's not doing much, just sitting there.

I stay silent, intent on the match.

Eventually, Shikamaru puts his hands down and gets ready for something. Temari doesn't want to give him the chance and uses her wind attack again, forcing Shikamaru to hide behind a tree. Once her attack is over, Shikamaru's shadow extends again.

Temari stays behind the line, looking confident, but the shadow crosses it. She quickly jumps back in a panic, once again outside of its range.

“So that's it,” Temari comments. “The wall's shadow extended with the setting sun, extending your range as well.”

She looks at the sun and her lines in the dirt, formulating some plan.

Just when she relaxes, Shikamaru's shadow comes for her again. She retreats again, but this time something's different.

“Temari, above you!” Kankuro shouts.

Above Temari, a makeshift parachute made from Shikamaru's jacket is falling, casting another shadow. She has to maneuver as best as she can to get out of its range. She lodges her fan in the ground and gets down, thinking.

After a bit, she looks like she has a plan. She starts making some hand signs, but then stops. She's been caught by Shikamaru's shadow.

“Look around you,” Shikamaru explains, "Kon and Lee's fight left craters and divots everywhere. I just made my way around the arena, and got it behind you when you were busy thinking."

“See, my reckless disregard for collateral damage is an asset, not a hindrance,” I laugh. “Imagine if he actually put that talent towards something constructive.”

Shikamaru walks towards Temari, who mirrors his movements. He raises his arm, then speaks.

“To hell with this, I give up.”

The crowd goes completely silent before booing him yet again.

“I used up all my chakra, so it's the end of the line for me,” Shikamaru goes on. “Even if I won, it'd just mean more work anyway.”

“The winner is Temari!” Hayate announces.

Shikamaru shuffles back up to the waiting area.

“Really?” I smirk at Shikamaru. “Nice job out there! You totally had her.”

As I laugh, Tenten scolds Shikamaru. “What are you even doing? Why even be a ninja?”

Shikamaru changes the subject. “So what are they going to do about Sasuke's fight? He's still not here.”

The crowd is getting even more impatient, the insults getting louder and greater in quantity.

I sigh, “They're going to make us fight first, aren't they, Tenten?”

As I say so, Hayate calls up to the waiting area. “Can Kon and Tenten please come down to the arena? We'll be doing your match next.”

Me and Tenten march down to the arena, resigned to our fate.

We get down to the center, and are about to take our spots when a breeze blows in. Before me appears Kakashi Sensei and Sasuke, sporting a new outfit.

“Sorry we're late, traffic was a mess,” Kakashi jokes. “We aren't disqualified or anything, are we?”

“Just in time, Sensei,” I respond. “You ever think about getting a watch?”

Kakashi addresses Hayate, “We're good to go then?”

The crowd starts roaring once they realize Sasuke has arrived.

“Well, it looks like they want Sasuke's match next,” he notes. “We'll put you next. You two can go ahead back up and wait. Gaara, your match is next, please come down to the arena.”

Me and Tenten start to head back up the stairs, grateful for the extra time to rest.

“Good luck,” I tell Sasuke. “After all, you know just as well as I do what you're up against.”

“Thanks,” Sasuke responds. He tosses me his sword, “Hold on to that for me. I haven't figured out how to use it with my new move yet.”

I put his sword away and head up to the waiting balcony along with Tenten. However, partway up the stairs, I stop.

“Please help me!” screams a Grass ninja, as sand envelops his legs and drags him down the dark hallway.

I dush forward and hit the sand holding the Grass ninja's leg, freeing him. He takes no time at all in running away as fast as his legs will carry him.

“Don't you have a battle with Sasuke right now?” I ask Gaara. “What are you doing here?”

“They were in my way, so I was killing them,” Gaara states bluntly. “Are you in my way?”

The look in Gaara's eyes makes me shudder. Tenten still hasn't even moved.

“No, go to your match,” I respond.

Gaara slowly walks on by me and Tenten as he descends the stairs. Once he's gone, Tenten takes a deep breath, like she was holding it that whole time.

“That guy is crazy,” Tenten says, “How can he just kill so calmly like that? Should we tell somebody?”

“Yeah, we should,” I agree.

I knew Gaara's dangerous, but he's killing people so openly now. Something has to be done.

Me and Tenten head for the stands, seeking someone. Likely one of our Jonin instructors or even Sarutobi Sensei.

While down in the arena, Sasuke and Gaara's battle has begun.


	5. Invasion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Invasion Begins.

Me and Tenten head towards the stands. We reach them to find Kakashi Sensei standing with Guy, Sai, and Kiba sitting nearby.

In the arena Sasuke is on the attack, moving as fast as me or Lee. Dashing around Gaara's sand defenses, he manages to get a hit on Gaara, pushing him back and cracking his sand armor.

Kakashi turns and notices that we've arrived, “Kon? Shouldn't you be in the waiting area right now?”

“Sensei, we need to talk,” I say. I tell him about the encounter I just had with Gaara and my concerns.

“I understand,” Kakashi replies. “I know you want me to bring this up to the Hokage or Kazekage perhaps, and I will later. But for now, I believe in Sasuke. He's trained hard for this match.”

Down in the arena, Gaara has formed a sphere of sand around himself, spikes jutting out to stab Sasuke when he gets close. It seems to be incredibly hard, as none of Sasuke's attacks are having any effect.

Though I have reservations, I decide to listen to Kakashi and just watch the match for now.

Unable to get through Gaara's sand, Sasuke backs up and slides up to the top of the wall. He takes a stance that strikes me as familiar. A familiar sound hits my ears as well.

“This is why I insisted on training Sasuke myself,” Kakashi tells me, “He's like me.”

“So that's it,” Guy says, “You really went and taught him the Chidori, did you? So that's what you were doing. Training up his speed to the necessary level.”

I decide that I'm not as optimistic as Sensei, and leave to go find someone else. Tenten decides to follow me.

After combing the stands, we manage to locate Sarutobi Sensei sitting with his grandson.

“Kon?” he asks, “What are you doing here?”

Before I can answer, a scream erupts from the arena. It seems Sasuke's move has hit its mark

I tell the Third all about what happened with Gaara and that I think something needs to be done.

“Indeed,” he agrees. “I'll head up to Jiraiya right away. You stay here.”

As he's about to leave, something catches his attention.

I start to feel drowsy, and my vision gets blurry.

This is obviously a genjutsu, and I've trained for this. I dispel it like I've practiced, Tenten and Sarutobi Sensei doing the same.

An explosion of smoke comes from the box, and the Third looks concerned.

“Kon, I need to go! Stay here and look after the spectators!” With that, he takes off.

Several Sound and Sand ninja enter the arena, taking on the Jonin that have dispelled the genjutsu.

Me and Tenten stay where we are, and clash with a couple of Sound ninjas. It doesn't take too long to take them out, and soon enough, Kurenai Sensei reaches us.

“I'll take care of this area you two," she tells us, “Those three Sand genin are escaping with only Sasuke to follow. He won't be able to fight them on his own.”

I've decided to grab some other genin before we head out. I head for the waiting area and find Shikamaru pretending to be asleep. I get him up and make him join us.

Shino is nowhere to be found, so we start to head out when I see Kiba nearby.

“Yo!” he greets us, “Kakashi Sensei woke me up so we could track Sasuke. Let's head out!”

The four of us head in the direction Sasuke left, Kiba and Akamaru in the lead.

As we leave the arena, I see a weird purple barrier on the roof. There seems to be a battle going on inside it.

After a bit, Kiba speaks up, “We're being followed. It's a pretty big group. Like eight or nine guys. What do we do?”

An idea hits me. “Tenten, put a reverse summoning seal on me. I'll stay back and set some traps, try and take some guys out. You summon me to you guys after a set amount of time.”

Shikamaru smirks, “And here I thought I'd have to take the hit. Good thinking, Kon. One problem: how long can you survive? Will it be enough? I say we need half an hour. Can you do it?”

“No problem,” I answer.

Tenten puts the seal on me and tells me to be careful before the rest of the group takes off, leaving me alone.

I find a good spot and set what traps I have left. Which is less than I thought I had. I doubt they could take out all nine of the pursuers.

I prepare my traps to funnel them into one area. I want to take out as many as I can in the initial attack. For the funnel to work, I have to stand in a certain spot where they will see both me and the fake traps.

The pursuers come, and just as I've planned, funnel into my traps. They go off, throwing them in all directions, while I hide.

Four of them don't stand back up, while the other four start looking around for me. I don't see the ninth one.

I move about as silently as I can, keeping an eye out for the ninth Sound ninja. The one thing I want to avoid is being caught off guard.

The four ninja still upkeep looking, and eventually spot me, despite my best efforts. One rushes up to attack me, but I use a substitution to getaway.

They lose track of me again, but I still have seen no sign of the ninth ninja. I had planned to pick these ones off one at a time, but since they know there's only one of me, they are sticking close together, planning to overwhelm me the next time they flush me out. Which at this rate, will be in a few seconds.

I decide that I need to take this chance. I jump out into the center of the four ninja, take a deep breath, and begin to spin.

“Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!”

My blast of air cuts at the ninja, putting two of them out of commission, while the other two can defend themselves.

As I stop spinning, a figure drops from above. I'm able to dodge, but not fast enough to avoid getting glanced by his kick.

I hit a tree, but manage to stay up. Before me, there are three ninja, and I've still got about five minutes. There's no guarantee that every one of the ninja on the ground will stay there, either.

I try to throw them off. After throwing out some smoke bombs, I take off through the trees.

The three ninja soon pursue, the presumable leader steadily gaining on me. I'm able to keep them off me for quite a while, though.

Mere seconds from my scheduled reverse summoning, the leader closes right in on me, baring his kunai.

As he swings, a figure appears from behind ms and strikes the ninja.

“Nice work keeping these guys occupied, Kon,” Asuma says. “Why don't you take a break?”

“Thanks, Asuma Sensei,” I tell him, relieved. “But actually, I have to go now.”

No sooner than I've finished my sentence do I disappear in a puff of smoke. I reappear in front of Tenten, the group having stopped momentarily.

“You're okay!” Tenten exclaims.

Our group wastes no time in resuming our pursuit, as Sasuke is apparently close now.

As we go, Shikamaru speaks up, “So, how'd it go? Are we in the clear?”

“I got six of them, but then Asuma bailed me out,” I admit.

“I'd say that's a success,” Shikamaru replies.

Kiba addresses the group. “Kankuro broke off from the others, Sasuke is still moving along with the other two. I think Kankuro is fighting somebody, I can't tell who though. Do we want to get mixed up in that, or should we go around?”

“We push through,” I tell him.

As we approach, our group stops just short of a cloud of smoke. It's a strange color, likely poison. I wait for it to dissipate, then see Shino on a nearby tree. There's no sign of Kankuro.

“What are you guys doing here?” he asks. “Get going, this is my fight. I don't need you to interfere.”

“Alright if you say so, Shino,” I tell him. “Try and catch up to us when you're done, okay?”

Our group leaves him and takes off. After a while more, we finally arrive at our destination and are greeted by a terrible sight.

Gaara, covered in sand and those purple veins once more, enveloping half of his body.

He gives a deafening roar, “Come out Sasuke Uchiha! I kill to live, and you are my prey!”

Gaara roars again, “Are you afraid of me? Come out and fight!”

A ways away I see Temari cowering in fear, trying to stay out of the fight.

Sasuke notices our group and comes over to our hiding spot while Gaara is still searching for him. Gaara is bashing trees apart with his morphed arm with little effort, snarling all the while.

“So you guys made it,” Sasuke pants. He looks pretty worn out. “I've used Chidori twice today, and this guy is stronger than ever. I feel like I might just be able to pull it off a third time if I get a few minutes to rest, but I'm drained otherwise.”

I assess the situation. Sasuke isn't doing so hot. Me, Tenten, and Shikamaru are all at decent chakra levels, and Kiba and Akamaru are totally fresh. Gaara's strength is unreal, so we need to avoid taking hits if at all possible, and he's closing in on our position as we speak.

“Well?” Kiba asks, “What do we do?”

“If Tenten can trip Gaara up with wires, then Shikamaru can grab him with the Shadow Possession Jutsu,” I start. “Then Sasuke and I can double-team him with our strongest moves.”

“You don't want to try that too soon,” Sasuke interrupts. “If you want me to do another Chidori, you're going to have to stall him for a bit. Once you can hear the sound of birds chirping, that'll be your cue.”

Shikamaru speaks next, “Which means we'll have to distract him until then. Let's just go take potshots at him while Sasuke gets ready. Try to keep away from his attacks if you can, you won't be able to take many.”

All of us except Sasuke make a break out of our hiding place and take positions around Gaara.

“What is this?” He growls, “You think your friends will be able to defeat me? You are only making yourselves weaker by relying on each other! You can only become strong by looking out for yourself!”

Tenten throws some kunai, but Gaara blocks with his morphed arm, and they are enveloped in the sand. He launches them back at Tenten, who's been forced to dodge. Gaara then launches himself with his tail towards Shikamaru absurdly fast. Shikamaru doesn't look like he'll be able to get out of the way.

I quickly pull out mg kyoketsu-shoge and toss it around Shikamaru's leg. I'm able to pull him out of the way just in time to avoid Gaara's attack.

I notice that Gaara's body is slowly enveloping in more and more of the sand.

As he's turning back around, Kiba and Akamaru launch a Fang Over Fang at him, but his arm and tail form into a shield around him, preventing any damage.

Once the attack stops, Gaara goes back on the attack, swinging at Kiba and Akamaru. Kiba takes a hit blocking Akamaru and hits a tree.

At that, Gaara starts to shake and grab his head. He lets out another scream as more sand covers his body.

I head over to Kiba and check on him.

“I'm okay,” he coughs as he gets up. I can see a bit of blood running from his mouth, but he manages to stand on his own.

I glance at Sasuke, and he's still not quite ready.

Gaara however, is now completely covered in his sand, in the form of what seems to truly be a monster.

“You are all going to die here!” Gaara screams, “All because you let yourselves be dragged down by each other!”

I try to run interference and use my speed to keep him distracted.

As I jump back and forth dodging blows, I taunt him, “I don't know what you're talking about, Gaara. If we were alone we would have already been killed. It's because we're working as a team that we can become stronger.”

“Shut up!” Gaara roars. “Sand Shuriken!”

From his arm, Gaara shoots sand projectiles at me, moving at a blinding speed. I attempt to dodge, but some manage to glance me.

Gaara looks like he's about to attack someone else, and he turns around. That's when I hear the sound. Chirping birds.

I begin to build up chakra for my attack.

While Tenten gets her wires ready, Kiba and Akamaru use Fang Over Fang to keep Gaara still. Gaara however, is having none of it, as he just bashes both Kiba and Akamaru to the ground. They don't get up.

At that moment, Tenten's wires envelop Gaara, who isn't amused. He takes a deep breath, “Wind Release: Sandstorm Devastation!”

Clouds of sand burst from Gaara's mouth and blew both the wires and Tenten away. Tenten hits a tree and stays down.

In the time this is happening, Shikamaru manages to grab Gaara in his Shadow Possession Jutsu. It's clearly only for a moment, as Gaara is already struggling to break free, but it's enough.

Sasuke comes running towards Gaara, Chidori in hand behind him. I approach too, readying my attack.

I run at the temporarily immobilized Gaara and ready my fist. As Sasuke approaches from below, I jump up to strike him from above.

I punch and release my chakra right into Gaara, the sand covering him wobbling and falling out of place.

As Gaara has been stunned by my attack, Sasuke comes straight in for the Chidori right into Gaara's chest.

Gaara doesn't react for a bit, but Sasuke immediately falls and passes out as soon as his move has hit.

“Guh,” I hear Gaara grunt, coughing up blood. The sand around him begins to quiver around his body. I notice that Gaara's eyes are closed. He must be unconscious, but the sand is still moving.

In fact, at that point the sand begins to erupt upwards, destroying everything in its path. I have to move, but my teammates may be hit. Shikamaru is the only one who's still mobile.

I quickly grab Sasuke and head to safety.

“Shikamaru, grab the others!” I shout.

He makes for Kiba and Akamaru and hauls them out of the way, but I don't see what happens to Tenten before something huge lands where we're all standing.

However, a figure immediately appears next to me and sets Tenten down.

Still conscious, she looks up at the boy, “Neji? Is that you?”

“Today was supposed to be my day off since Itachi was covering for me,” he scoffs. “But these Sand ninja just had to come and ruin it.”

“Thanks for the save,” I tell the new arrival.

I check on Tenten, and she manages to stand on her own.

I look up and see quite the sight. The sand that erupted from Gaara has formed a giant monster. The monster even begins to speak.

“Yahoo!” it yells. “I'm free! Hope you're all ready to die!”

The monster begins to hop around a bit, causing massive damage to the landscape.

Shikamaru lands next to me, Kiba and Akamaru in tow.

“There is no way we can fight that thing,” Shikamaru says bluntly, “I'm taking Kiba and getting out of here. Tenten, you should take Sasuke and do the same. You two should come too, there's nothing we can do now.”

“Wait,” Neji interrupts. He turns to me, “That Sandboy is on top of the monster's head. That has to be his weak point. Let the others fall back, but if you could help me, we could have a chance to take this monster down. We can't let it run amok in the village! As shinobi of the Leaf, we must protect it!”

“You're right,” I agree. I have a duty to protect the village at any cost, “I'll help you. But you better have a plan, or when we die, I'm kicking your ass.”

Shikamaru and Tenten wish us luck before they leave. Now I'm alone with Neji before a rampaging monster.

“I can reach his head and find a way to stop him,” Neji explains. “I just need you to run interference for me so that monster doesn't take me out during the ascent. Maybe use of your special release or something.”

Without another word, he takes off towards the monster. The monster is just swiping at the random countryside, but it'll surely notice Neji once he begins his climb.

I try to get the monster's attention, “Hey you giant cat! It's time for you to get your just deserts!”

The monster stops its rampaging and looks towards me before chuckling. “Oh so you think you're funny do ya? Have a laugh at this!”

The monster swings at me. As it does, I release all of the chakra that I can, to my absolute limit.

The blast is huge, and blows away the monster's leg, knocking it off balance. It has to catch itself with the arm it was going to hit me with, while it gathers the sand for its leg again.

“Oh, you're gonna get it now!” the monster barks at me. It takes a deep breath, its stomach swelling. “Wind Release: Air Bullet!”

A giant blast of air shoots out of its mouth, right towards me.

I dig into any tiny bit of chakra I can scrounge up, and use it to dodge as best I can. It isn't enough to get out of the path of the blast, and I take a huge hit. I've done my job, however, as while I've sprawled out on the ground aching, the monster begins to collapse into sand. Neji must have pulled it off.

I manage to get up, sore, but I can still move.

I make my way over to the clearing where Gaara and Neji fell, to find Gaara conscious but immobile. Neji is standing but looks beat up. The way up must not have been without its hazards.

Temari has made her way over as well and is kneeling next to Gaara. “I guess this is it, isn't it Gaara? We failed.”

“Of course you failed,” I state. “You are stronger than me Gaara, but together we were able to defeat you. Through our desire to protect our village, we combined our strengths. That's why we won. You didn't have anyone. You were alone. Now, what was this all about?”

“We had a mission to destroy the Leaf village,” Temari answers. “The Sand wanted to get out from under the thumb of your village.”

“Alright,” Neji interrupts, “You're going to be coming back with us.”

As Neji moves to grab Gaara, a large figure appears and beats him to it.

“I'll be taking this,” The figure says.

The figure before me seems to be a bulky man with a tail, which now holds Gaara. He is wearing a black cloak with red clouds, similar to the attire worn by the man Tenten has described attacking her team in the Forest of Death.

“Orochimaru just had to waste time playing around, so here I am doing our actual job,” the cloaked man says. “But despite having to wait, you kids made it easy for me. So as a show of gratitude I won't even kill you. I'm in a hurry, so I'm just going to leave.”

“Gaara!” Temari shouts, stepping towards the man. Neji grabs her arm and stops her, a stern look on his face.

“Don't even try,” Neji states. “Inside that puppet body is an S-class rogue ninja, Sasori of the Red Sand. You don't stand a chance.”

“I can't just let him take Gaara!” Temari retorts.

Neji's reply is cold, but his expression pained. “We don't have a choice.”

Sasori turns to leave with Gaara, who looks back at his sister and manages to call out to her, “Temari...”

“Neji, can we get someone from the village to come help?” I ask. “Maybe Itachi, or the Hokage.”

“They can't,” Neji answers bluntly, “Lord Hokage and Itachi were fighting against Orochimaru and the Kazekage. Even if the battle is over and they won, I doubt they're in a condition to both get here in time and defeat Sasori.”

Neji grinds his teeth, “We're powerless.”

As Sasori leaves, Temari shouts one last message to her brother.

“Gaara!” she shouts, tears welling up in her eyes, “I'm sorry! Even though we were your siblings, you were still alone...”

She slumps to her knees as Sasori and Gaara disappear. She gets back up after only a few moments and looks around, panicked.

“Where's Kankuro?” she asks, “I need to go find him!”

“I'll go with you,” I tell Temari. “Neji, go report this back to the village.”

“Of course,” Neji responds before taking off.

Me and Temari head back through the woods to where Kankuro and Shino were fighting, to find them both sprawled out. Their match must have been a draw.

Temari immediately rushes over to Kankuro, while I notice a man in sunglasses land near Shino and start to do something.

I stay close enough to keep an eye on Temari and Kankuro, while I call out to the man.

“Is Shino okay?” I ask. “I'm his classmate, Kon Karagowa.”

“Nice to meet you, young man,” the man replies without looking away from Shino. “I'm Shino's father, Shibi Aburame. Shino's been poisoned, so I'm having my bugs remove the poison from his body.”

Without turning, he addresses Temari and Kankuro. “Your Kazekage is likely in our custody as we speak. It would be wise for you two to come quietly.”

Kankuro, now on his feet, looks at Temari. They both look hesitant.

I leave Shino to his father and address Temari and Kankuro.

“Come with me,” I tell them. “You should cooperate with us for now, we might be able to get your brother back.”

Kankuro has a pained expression, “There's no way. We put our entire village's fighting capability towards this attack. After this fight, there will be no one left to follow Sasori. We were played for fools.”

Temari speaks up, “Let's just go with him, Kankuro. There's no point in leaving while our father is still here.”

Kankuro relents, and the three of us make our way back to the village.

When we finally arrive, we're greeted by two Jonin who take Temari and Kankuro into custody.

One of them, wearing sunglasses, addresses me. “You're Kon, right? The Hokage is in no shape to see you right now, but he requested that you report to his office tomorrow morning. For now, go home and see your family.”

“Did the rest of my team make it back okay?” I ask the Jonin.

“They're all fine,” he responds. “They should be at their homes resting now. I suggest you do the same, we have to be going.”

Before they take off, I offer some words of reassurance to Temari and Kankuro, “I'll check in if I can.”

Now alone, I've decided to check on the others before heading home.

I decide that I want to visit my teammates and Tenten immediately to find out how they're doing.

The hospital is nearby, so a quick check there informs me that Kiba and Sasuke are both doing fine, but have not yet regained consciousness. I'll have to catch them up later.

I then head to the weapon shop I'm so familiar with. When I arrive, I see that the place has some damage, but it's not too bad. Tenten has wasted no time, however, and is already up on a ladder fixing the fallen sign.

She gasps when she notices me, but is careful not to lose her balance, “Kon! You're okay! What happened back there?”

I start by assuring her that Shino is okay, then tell her of my and Neji's battle against the giant sand monster.

“I used my release to blow off its leg while Neji ran up to its head and paralyzed Gaara,” I tell her, unable to stifle a grin at my feat.

“Whoa, that's pretty incredible,” she responds.

After a bit of hesitation, I tell her about Gaara's abduction and the cloaked man. Once I've described the cloak, she gets a very worried look on her face.

“There are more than one of those guys?” she shudders, “I hope we don't run across them again.”

She takes a good look at me and sees that I am extremely worn out.

“Go home and get some rest already, Kon,” Tenten says as she goes back to hammering the shop's sign in. “We can talk more later.”

I take the advice and head home after saying goodbye.

Miraculously, my uncle's restaurant seems to have suffered no damage, and I find my uncle inside with plenty of food laid out.

“Good to see you back home safe and sound, Kon,” he laughs, “I knew you'd be okay. Now come get some grub, and tell me all about your day. How'd your match go? What'd you do during the attack?”

I waste no time sitting down to eat and think about my story.

I start by telling my uncle about my match with Lee. I tell him that I'm pretty confident about making Chunin, as I had controlled the match pretty well. I also mention Lee's arm and that I should probably visit.

I then tell him about the attack, and how I got a team together to follow the Sand genin. I tell him about stalling the Sound ninja, and our fight with a berserk Gaara.

I don't want to bring up any bad memories about Mom, so I neglect to mention that "Berserk Gaara" was a giant sand demon.

I also decide to leave out Sasori, as mentioning that encounter would likely be more trouble than it's worth.

“Way to go, kiddo,” my uncle laughs, “You're protecting the village with such enthusiasm already at your age! Your parents would be so proud.”

I've just about finished eating, and it's getting late.

I tell my uncle that I have a meeting with the Hokage tomorrow morning, and he assures me that he'll wake me up if he needs to.

With that, I head upstairs and lay down on my bed. I fall asleep almost immediately, and it may be the heaviest sleep of my life.

My uncle shakes me awake early enough to eat breakfast before I head out. After the meal, I say goodbye and head to the Hokage's office.

When I walk in, I see the familiar Hokage wrapped in bandages all over his body. He must have had a rough time.

“Ah, Kon,” he addresses me. “I've been expecting you, come sit down.”

I take a seat in front of his desk. Looking around, I notice he isn't accompanied today.

“What did you need to see me for Lord Hokage?” I ask.

“First off, I want to thank you for your hard work yesterday,” he starts. “You and Neji managed to subdue Shukaku and your ages! It's quite impressive. The main reason I called you here today, however, is to officially record your kekkei genkai. We need to know what you want to call it.”

After thinking about it for a while, I come to an answer, “I'll call it Impact Release.”

“Sounds good to me,” Jiraiya says, as he jots it down. “I'm looking forward to seeing what you can do with this new release in the future.”

There's a knock at the door. Jiraiya calls for them to come in, and Tenten and Shikamaru walk into the office.

“Next order of business,” the Fifth states, “Promotions! Kon Karagowa, Tenten, and Shikamaru Nara. As of this moment, you three are officially Chunin. Congratulations.”

“Thank you, Lord Hokage,” I tell Jiraiya before the three of us give a respectful bow. Once we do that, there is a round of high fives between the three of us.

I turn back to the Hokage to ask a question, “Why didn't the others pass the examination, Lord Hokage?”

“The others weren't able to cope with you three,” he explains. “Lee had no way of getting through your traps but to use a move that ended up hurting himself. Sakura was too confident in her ability and let herself get caught. And well, obviously the Sand genin won't be passing. Sasuke's match was incomplete and Shino didn't get to have one. That's about it for my reasoning. Any more questions?”

“About the Sand genin...” I start.

“They are being released,” Jiraiya interrupts, “Orochimaru apparently deceived the Kazekage and convinced him to attack the Leaf all as a ploy to abduct their Jinchuuriki. The Kazekage was none the wiser, and as we currently have no Jinchuuriki of our own, he thought this was his opportunity to get out from the treaty that favors our village over his. The Sand will be paying us reparations, and are essentially going to be subject to the whim of the Leaf for some time. We didn't want to make things any harder than they needed to be. The village escaped too much damage, and the casualties were fairly low, so it will have to do for now.”

I don't know what he means by Jinchuuriki, but it sounds like things with the Sand will get better.

“Gaara...” Jiraiya sighs, “We didn't have anyone to send after Sasori. He was sure to be long gone before anyone could reach him.”

“What is Gaara, exactly?” I ask. “What does that mean, 'Jinchuuriki'?”

“You of course know of the nine-tailed fox,” the Fifth starts. “There are eight more beings like it in this world. You fought the one-tailed beast, Shukaku. Jinchuuriki are people who have a tailed beast sealed inside of them. They have great power, and that is likely why Gaara was taken.”

Some Chunin come in and hand the three of us our flak jackets.

“That's enough for now,” Jiraiya says. “You three are going to have greater responsibilities as Chunin, but for now why don't you just help out repairing the village? I'll see you guys later, I need a nap.”

The three of us are escorted out of the Hokage's office. Tenten and Shikamaru both take off, as they say, they have things to do.

I consider seeing Temari and Kankuro off but decide against it, as I wouldn't really know what to say.

Nearby there are some workers clearing rubble, so I set off to assist. For the rest of the morning, I go around the village and help out. Quite a few people are doing so, including the entire Uchiha police force, so it looks like repairs will be done in no time at all.

As I sit for lunch, a familiar face runs up to me.

“Bro!” Konohamaru is jumping up and down, “Grandpa says we can go on a trip! A training journey! Isn't that cool?”

“That sounds awesome,” I tell Konohamaru, “But what for?”

Sarutobi Sensei comes up to answer my question, “I need to go on a trip to find an old student of mine and convince her to come back to the village for a certain reason. I know you were just promoted, but I can convince Jiraiya. I wanted you to have the opportunity to train with me some more. What do you say?”

Konohamaru is looking up at me expectantly, “We're leaving today, come on bro! You've gotta come with us!”

“I'll go,” answer.

“Excellent!” the Third replies. “You go home and get your things ready, let your uncle know you're going. I'll make sure Jiraiya and Kakashi know as well.”

I head home and pack my bag for the trip. I tell my uncle and he wishes me luck in my training.

A couple of hours later, I'm at the village gates with Konohamaru and Sarutobi Sensei. The three of us set off on our journey together. I hope it will be fruitful.


	6. Search for Tsunade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our hero monkeys around and meets Tsunade.

After an uneventful first two days of travel, me and my two companions arrive at a bustling town.

Looking down on it from the cliff, Sarutobi Sensei addresses me and his grandson.

“I know you two are probably anxious to begin your training,” the Third starts. “But I need to spend at least a few days gathering information first, so we know where to look. This town is having a festival for the next few days, so why don't you two enjoy yourselves for a bit before we start your training?”

Konohamaru starts pouting, “Some training journey this is.”

“Come on Konohamaru, it'll be fun,” I insist.

The three of us make our way into town to see all kinds of stalls lined up.

“I'll be taking my leave then,” Sarutobi Sensei tells us. “You two have fun, I'll meet up with you later this evening.”

The Third walks away and approaches some young women. “Excuse me, would you ladies mind helping an old man out?”

Meanwhile, me and Konohamaru hit a bunch of stalls, playing games and eating snacks. It takes Konohamaru a bit to get into it, but after a while, he's having the time of his life.

Later in the evening, us two are munching on some okonomiyaki, waiting for our teacher to show his face again.

I'm on friendly terms with Konohamaru, but I don't know him that well, so I decide to strike up a conversation while we eat.

“So why do you want to get stronger so badly, Konohamaru?” I ask, “Is there something you really want to achieve?”

“I want to become the Hokage like my grandpa was,” he answers. “He retired around the time I was born, so he's always been there for me, but he often talks about being the Hokage.”

Konohamaru stops eating and looks down, “I don't know what happened, but he feels like he let the village down. I can't imagine it. He's such a great teacher and he cares so much about other people. How could he have been a bad Hokage?”

Konohamaru then stands up, his fist forward, “That's why I'll follow in his footsteps and become Hokage! If he feels like he made some mistakes, I just have to fix them! But for that, I need to be stronger. That's why I'm always training.”

“So how is your training going?” I ask.

“I'm super advanced thanks to grandpa's training,” Konohamaru answers. “I'm not even in the academy yet, and I could probably pass the graduation exam.”

I figure that's roughly at genin level, so I invite him to train a bit while I wait. Making a bit of a game out of it, I take turns making hand signs and copying them as fast as possible. The kid wasn't lying, as his hand signs are as good as mine.

Eventually, Sarutobi Sensei shows up, just before the sun finishes setting.

“Did you two have fun today?” he asks.

“We did,” I say, as Konohamaru holds up the monkey plushie he won at a stand.

“How about you, Sensei?” I say with a grin, “Find any information?”

“It may take a few more days to dig something up,” the Third replies.

“If we're going to be sticking around for a bit, then can we start training tomorrow?” I inquire, trying not to sound too anxious.

“I guess I could start you, boys, on something,” my teacher relents, “Then you can train through the day while I gather information.”

The three of us head back to our hotel room and get some sleep. We're all up early, back on the cliff overlooking the town.

“Now then,” Sarutobi Sensei starts, “What is it that you boys wanted to learn?”

“I need to train my strength, genjutsu, and hand seals,” I say.

The Third responds bluntly, “I won't be here with you, so it'd really be no more effective than if you trained on your own.”

I think a bit more, “Well then, maybe a lightning jutsu or summoning.”

Konohamaru interrupts, “Yes! Summoning! I want to learn to summon monkeys like you, grandpa!”

Sarutobi Sensei sighs, “I suppose you could at least form the contract. What about you, Kon? Do you also want to learn my summon technique?”

“I want to learn it,” I say. “Though, if I form a contract with the monkeys, does that mean I can only summon monkeys?”

“It is possible to form two contracts, and summon the creatures for one with each hand,” the Third answers. “To keep things simple for now, I'll just have you both sign my contract.”

Sarutobi Sensei bites his thumb to draw blood, then forms some hand signs and places his palm on the ground, “Summoning Jutsu!”

In a cloud of smoke, appears a large monkey dressed in a tiger pelt, and wearing a Leaf headband. The monkey is holding a large scroll.

The monkey turns to the Third and speaks, “So you're actually passing down the contract, eh Sarutobi? Who are these kids, anyway?”

“I'm Kon Karagowa, Sarutobi Sensei's student,” I introduce myself as I give a respectful bow.

Next to me, Konohamaru does the same.

“I can't say I agree with teaching the summoning technique to two children, but I will respect Sarutobi's decision,” the monkey tells us. “I am the monkey king, Enma.”

Enma lays the scroll before me and Konohamaru and rolls it out. He points to the two next empty columns.

“Sign your names here, in your blood,” Enma directs, “With that, the contract will be formed.”

Me and Konohamaru do as we're told, then Enma rolls up the scroll and disappears in a puff of smoke.

“Alright!” Konohamaru shouts. “I'm gonna try it right now! Summoning Jutsu!”

Konohamaru performs all the correct steps, but what appears in a puff of smoke is not what he expected.

A baby monkey rocks back and forth with eyes wide, while Konohamaru just looks in bewilderment.

After being stunned for a moment by the baby monkey's cuteness, I decide to give it a try myself.

I bite my thumb, then form the hand signs and place my palm on the ground, “Summoning Jutsu!”

In a puff of smoke appears what seems to be a completely normal monkey, with nothing special about it at all.

It feels somehow underwhelming.

Sarutobi Sensei just laughs as my and Konohamaru's summoning attempts disappear.

“Don't worry, you two,” our teacher encourages. “The Summoning Jutsu takes many long hours of practice, performing it countless times. It will come to you. For now, I must go.”

Before leaving, the Third comes over to me.

“Keep a close eye on Konohamaru, would you?” he asks, “He just doesn't have the chakra for a proper summon yet, but he'll likely keep trying until he passes out.”

With that, our teacher leaves. As he had expected, Konohamaru continues to attempt summoning.

I spend the next several days practicing summoning along with Konohamaru, who I watch closely to make sure he doesn't overexert himself.

To his annoyance, Konohamaru makes little progress, but after about a week, I manage to make a true summon.

Before me lies a monkey wearing several masks all over its body. It picks its nose as it talks to me.

“Yo, I'm Sarujizo,” the monkey says, “Did you want something from me, kid?”

“Nice to meet you, Sarujizo. I'm Kon Karagowa,” I introduce myself as I offer the monkey some dried fruit. “I'm new to summoning and was just practicing, so you can leave if you don't want to stick around. Though, could you tell me what those masks are for?”

“A newbie, huh? Figures,” Sarujizo says as he munches on the fruit. He takes one of the masks and places it over his face, transforming into a copy of me, “They call me the imitating monkey. I put on a mask, and take the form of someone or something I've seen. So if you ever think you need that, feel free to summon me again. Later.”

With that, Sarujizo disappears in a puff of smoke. Having seen my success, Konohamaru is now trying even harder to summon.

I decide to put summoning aside for now and practice my release. I practice using my release more efficiently with hand signs and focusing it in my body. After a couple of weeks, imbuing my strikes with Impact chakra is absurdly easy, and I start to practice imbuing weapons with it as well.

Konohamaru continues to practice summoning exclusively and makes little progress. His stamina, however, seems to be increasing by leaps and bounds.

One day during our training, Sarutobi Sensei comes up to us.

“We have a lead on Tsunade,” he says, “We're headed to Tanzaku Town.”

The three of us set back on the road.

I decide to cycle through hand signs for practice as I walk. Konohamaru follows suit.

As I practice, I decide to ask something.

“So why do we need Tsunade to come back to the village?” I ask, “And why did she leave in the first place?”

“Well the reason she left is quite personal,” Sarutobi Sensei answers, “What I will say is that she lost someone important to her and gave up medicine. But now we need her. She is the only person with the medical expertise to help us now. And the future of the village depends on it.”

Eventually, our group reaches Tanzaku Town. Our teacher decides to head up to the famous Tanzaku castle to get a good look at the surroundings, but when we arrive, it's nowhere to be seen.

A man runs by screaming, “It's a giant snake, run for your life!”

“Orochimaru...” the Third mutters.

“Orochimaru is here?” I ask. I'm a bit hesitant to jump straight into battle with a sannin.

“So it would seem,” the Third states. “We have no time to lose, follow me, but stay behind me!”

The three of us rush up to the castle, but by the time we arrive, there is nothing there but rubble.

Disheartened yet relieved, Sarutobi Sensei sets out to find a place to eat and maybe get some information. The three of us stop at a tavern, and Sarutobi Sensei stops at the entrance.

“Tsunade!” he calls.

“Sarutobi Sensei?” I hear in response. “What are you doing here?”

He sits at the woman's table and calls me and Konohamaru over. Tsunade herself is blonde with a purple diamond on her forehead. Somehow I thought she'd look older. Next to her sits a woman with black hair, holding a tiny pig.

“I'm going to cut right to the chase, Tsunade,” our teacher states. “The future of the village depends on your return to medicine. The man to be the next Hokage, Itachi Uchiha, is very ill. Without treatment, he will die. You are the only one who can do it, Tsunade.”

Tsunade just keeps putting down sake, with Sarutobi Sensei having his share. I and Konohamaru just munch on some appetizers as they arrive at our table.

“It's like a reunion, all these familiar faces showing up at the same time,” Tsunade murmurs, “And they all seem to want favors. Who's next, Jiraiya?”

“Jiraiya's currently recovering from his run-in with Orochimaru,” the Third says as he takes another drink, “I take it Orochimaru wants you to help him recover?”

“That's right,” Tsunade responds. She takes out a deck of cards and shuffles it before placing it between her and her teacher, “But you're both out of luck, I don't do that anymore.”

The two of them start to play a hand, “There's no point. I heal them, and they go off to die anyway,” Tsunade starts, “Especially the Hokage. Your predecessors and your successor, throwing their lives away all for the sake of the village? Money is one thing, but a life's another. To risk your life against all the odds? That's a sucker's bet. They lost their lives alright, and the village is no safer than it ever was.”

Next to me, Konohamaru is trembling with anger.

“You've changed, Tsunade,” the Third replies, “I could never have imagined that you would say such things.”

“The years have taught me a great deal, Sensei,” Tsunade goes on, as she places her cards face down on the table. “There's no point in trying to be a hero, it's a fool's game. This Itachi can go die without me.”

I notice that I'm unconsciously causing the table to shake with my chakra. I calm myself just enough to give a response.

“How can someone this stupid be a genius...anything?” I ask in disbelief., “You become a ninja expecting your coworkers to die. It's sad, it hurts, but you just work harder. It would be worse if we didn't try. Just because we all die in the end doesn't mean the time in between doesn't matter.“ I turn to my teacher, “Do we really want someone this...fragile working on Itachi?”

“Her skill is unparalleled,” the Third states, “There can be no one else.”

Tsunade scoffs, “You can't lecture me, kid. I've heard it all before.”

Meanwhile, Konohamaru has reached his limit. He jumps up and dives at Tsunade, arms flailing, stopped only by his grandfather.

“Don't you disrespect the Hokage!” he shouts, “It's my dream to become the Hokage, just like my grandfather, and protect the village he dedicated his life to!”

At that, Tsunade freezes. She glares at her old teacher, “Damn you, Sensei. You knew exactly what you were doing, bringing this kid here!”

Konohamaru points straight at Tsunade and makes a declaration, “I don't care who you are, nobody disrespect the Hokage and gets away with it!”

“What, you want to fight, kid?” Tsunade replies.

The situation is starting to get out of hand.

I pull Konohamaru back. He's just going to get himself hurt.

“Fighting a child?” I taunt, “Maybe you've had too much to drink. Why don't you fight me, instead? You did insult my parent's sacrifice, after all.”

“Fine,” Tsunade replies.

All five of us get up and leave the tavern. Tsunade stands down the path from me and holds up her finger.

“One finger,” she says, “That's all I'm going to use to defeat you.”

To the side, Tsunade's aide is freaking out. Sarutobi Sensei looks concerned, while Konohamaru looks ready to jump right in himself.

I decide to try and pull one over on her, while she might be drunk enough to fall for it.

I bite my thumb as if I were making for the summoning technique, then start to make hand signs to use my release.

She gets into a stance at first, but her eyes go wide as I make my hand signs. She recognizes that they aren't for summoning. She rushes forward straight at me, as I use my technique.

“Impact Release: Shattershot!” I fire my technique and it hits her straight on, but not before her finger hits my forehead and I go flying backward.

I'm on the ground in a daze for a while, before Tsunade walks up to me. She doesn't look very injured, but her movements look stiff.

“I don't know what you tried to pull, kid,” she spouts down at me. “But a green Chunin like you has no hope to stand up against a sannin. And I don't know how you thought this was going to convince me of anything.”

I get back up to my feet on my own, no injuries but a sore spot on my forehead.

Konohamaru looks like he wants to take a turn himself, despite seeing what just happened to me.

“It's not supposed to convince you of anything,” I tell her, “This is for my parents.”

I pull out some shuriken and throw them as a distraction, while I vault over her with my wire ready.

Tsunade catches the shuriken on her finger but is wrapped up by the wire. My success is short-lived, however, as after a moment, she just breaks right through it.

As she turns to strike me in the head again, I see Konohamaru behind her, jumping into the fight. He seems to have lost his temper.

“I'm still more than you,” I tell her. “Because even though I'm just a kid, I'm still trying, and still helping people. I'm more than you because unlike you I have no intention of becoming an old, bitter, self-centered drunk with a mountain of debt and a gambling addiction just because someone I love dies.”

Tsunade doesn't respond. She just turns and starts walking away.

“Come on, Shizune,” she calls, “I don't know what I was thinking, fighting with a kid.”

The woman, Shizune, apologizes to Konohamaru before taking off after Tsunade.

“Well, now what?” Konohamaru asks, “We can't just go back empty-handed.”

“I'll keep talking to Tsunade myself,” Sarutobi Sensei says, “I need to get through to her.”

“Well, I'm gonna do more training then!” Konohamaru announces, “What about you, bro?"

I agree to train with Konohamaru starting tomorrow. Sarutobi Sensei heads off on his own, while me and Konohamaru head to our hotel room.

“I'm gonna perfect the Summoning Jutsu, just you wait!” Konohamaru boasts as we get ready for bed.

I hear a knock at the door. Konohamaru gets up to answer it and finds Shizune at the door.

“I wanted to come apologize for Lady Tsunade,” she says, “She's not the type of person you think she is. She didn't use to be like that.”

“We know,” I respond, “Otherwise Sensei wouldn't be going to all this trouble. We can only hope he can talk some sense into her before it's too late for Itachi.”

I invite Shizune in and ask what happened to Tsunade in the past.

She tells me all about her brother, Nawaki, who coincidentally bares a striking resemblance to Konohamaru. About her lover Dan, and how both he and her brother dreamed of becoming Hokage. And about how they both died shortly after being gifted the necklace Tsunade wears.

“Ever since that happened, she's worn the necklace like a curse,” Shizune goes on. “At one time, she cared more about the village and worked harder for it than anyone. But now, it's not just that she doesn't want to perform medicine, ever since that day, she's been afraid to. I know it's not right of her, but please don't hold it against her.”

“I understand, but I still don't like her,” I tell Shizune, “She needs to get over herself. It's been years, and she's not the only one who has to deal with their loved ones dying. It's tough, but we have to do what we can to protect the ones that are still here.”

After saying her piece, Shizune leaves me and Konohamaru to our sleep. The two of us are up bright and early to train on the outskirts of town.

“I'll show that old lady!” Konohamaru boasts, “Let's get summoning!”

I decide to join Konohamaru in his endeavors.

On his first try of the day, Konohamaru manages to summon a small monkey that crawls up to perch on his shoulder, and then speaks."

“Hey, kid, I'm Sarutaro,” the monkey says, “Nice to meet ya.”

Konohamaru is ecstatic, “Oh yeah, this one can talk! I'm getting closer and closer to summoning Enma!”

“You want to summon gramps?” Sarutaro laughs, “A little small for that, don't you think, kid?”

Konohamaru isn't discouraged and spends the next week at practice.

I myself, manage to make some progress. Over the course of the week, I manage to summon three more new monkeys and choose between them consciously.

The new monkeys I've met are known as Mizaru, Kikazaru, and Iwazaru. They seem to be proficient in genjutsu, though I haven't found a way to get them to work well with me quite yet.

After a week has passed, me and Konohamaru wake up one morning to find that Sarutobi Sensei never returned for the night, which strikes me as odd.

He had often been out drinking with Tsunade, so me and Konohamaru look around the usual spots. We find the Third passed out at a stall. He had been there all night.

When we manage to wake him up, he's in bad shape, “She slipped something into my drink.” Sarutobi Sensei tells us, “She may mean to betray us.”

Soon, Shizune finds us, “There you are!” she says, panicked. “Lady Tsunade is gone!”

“Either we need to stop her or help her,” I say, “We can't do either from here.”

“Agreed,” the Third adds, “We have no time to lose. I'll just recover as we go.”

The three of us follow Shizune to the remains of Tanzaku castle to find a crater that wasn't there before. Negotiations must have gone badly.

Nearby, Shizune spots Tsunade's jacket. She has her pig Tonton sniff it, and lead us farther out of town.

We all arrive just in time to interrupt a battle in progress.

We all appear with the assistance of a smoke bomb, and stop Tsunade from being struck. A ways away, a man addresses the Third.

“It's been a long time, Sarutobi Sensei,” he says.

Our teacher responds, “That it has, Orochimaru.”

I then notice just who it was attacking Tsunade. It's Kabuto Yakushi from back in the Chunin exams.

“What are you doing here?” I ask. “Working for Orochimaru?”

“That's right, Kon,” he replies, “I'm a spy for Lord Orochimaru. Though I hope we can still keep things cordial.”

“Out of my way!” Tsunade shouts as she rushes past us, “I can deal with them!”

Tsunade has pressure on Kabuto, but before she can finish him, he stabs his own hand, and the blood splatters all over Tsunade. Her eyes go wide and she stops moving.

“I knew things would get worse now that the Third Hokage showed up,” Kabuto says before punching Tsunade in the face, sending her flying back to Shizune, who catches her. “But at least now, I have the Sannin out of the way.”

Kabuto returns to Orochimaru's side and takes some kind of pill.

“Konohamaru, stay back!” I call, “Sensei, I can take Kabuto.”

“Very well,” my teacher bites his thumb and makes some hand signs. “And I will fight Orochimaru! Summoning Jutsu!”

At the same time, Kabuto has also performed the Summoning Jutsu. From this, two giant snakes are produced. Sarutobi Sensei, however, must still be under the effects of the poison, as he only manages to summon Sarutaro.

“Uh oh, boss,” the monkey says, “I take it you weren't looking for me?”

From his perch on the snake's head, Orochimaru speaks, “Our Tsunade must have done something to Sarutobi Sensei here. Perhaps she meant to sacrifice him? No matter. I will fight him. Kabuto, do with the others as you please.”

“Of course, Lord Orochimaru,” Kabuto answers as the two giant snakes dive towards our group.

To make up for his weakened state, Sarutobi Sensei is cycling through elemental jutsu to strengthen them, keeping the giant snake at bay.

I intend to stand my ground and fight Kabuto, but as the other snake dives at me, Kabuto jumps from its head and makes a break for the rest of our group. Shizune gets ready to fight him off.

As the snake dives at me, I get my jutsu ready, “Impact Release: Shattershot!”

The blast blows the snake back, but it hisses and makes another lunge. This one is slower, however, and I can easily dodge it. Once the snake's head hits the ground missing me, I channel Impact chakra into my fist and strike it from below. With the amount of chakra, I expend on this blow, the snake rolls over and shudders. It doesn't seem to want to get back up any time soon.

I turn back to the group to see Shizune on the ground. She can't move her legs. I confront Kabuto, whose hands are glowing.

“So you want to fight me now, Kon?” he asks, getting into a stance.

“I don't see how I have much choice,” I respond, taking up a position between Kabuto and the others.

I pull some kunai and wire with explosives on them and try to wrap around Kabuto, but he cuts through the wire using his hands as he closes in on me. In a moment, he's right up on me, holding one of my wires with some active tags still on it.

“You do love your explosives don't you, Kon?” he asks with a grin.

Before the tags go off, I try to push Kabuto back.

“Impact Release: Shattershot!” The blast pushes Kabuto backward quite a ways, but he's dropped the tags before he was hit, and they detonate between us.

By the time the smoke clears, I don't see Kabuto.

“Below you!” I hear Shizune shout.

By the time I hear it, however, Kabuto has grabbed my left ankle. Whatever move he did, I can't move my left leg anymore.

Kabuto emerges from the ground, “The effect of your release is pretty interesting,” he notes. “Not entirely unlike one of Tsunade's jutsu I recently experienced. I guess it wasn't as effective on me as you were hoping?”

I have to do something before he takes the use of one of my arms. But first, I have to get him off me. I take a deep breath and start to spin. “Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!” The blades of air push Kabuto away and gives me an opening.

I quickly bite my thumb, gather chakra, and make the hand signs, “Summoning Jutsu!”

In a puff of smoke appears Sarujizo. Seems like that's all I could get on such short notice.

The monkey looks to Kabuto, “You in hot water, kid? What do you need me to do?”

“Transform into me and unload all your explosives on him,” I tell Sarujizo.

“Can do, kid,” Sarujizo puts on a mask and takes my form.

The two of us start pelting the field with explosives, and Kabuto can barely manage to dodge them. He weaves in between several explosions before he starts grabbing our kunai out of the air and sending them back, causing more explosions. After he does this a few times, there is far too much smoke to see anything. I hear another explosion and then a puff of smoke indicating that Sarujizo has disappeared. From the smoke emerges Kabuto, burned all over his body.

“You just can't stop it with those, can you Kon?” he pants. I see his wounds start to heal themselves, “It's a good thing I can use my chakra to regenerate, or I'd be in a bad spot. I'm almost totally drained as it is.”

Kabuto starts to retreat, “But you're not exactly in a good position either, I'm afraid.”

From across the field, I hear the sickening sound of metal in flesh.

I want to pursue Kabuto, but with this leg, I wouldn't get very far. Shizune can probably heal me.

I fall back to the rest of the group to find them looking on in horror.

I look over to see that Sarutobi Sensei has been run clean through with a sword that Orochimaru has produced from his throat. As our teacher wretches up blood, Orochimaru mocks him.

“What were you thinking, fighting me at your age, Sensei?” he says perfectly clearly despite the sword sticking out of his mouth. “Trying to be a hero? Live up to your title as Hokage? You were always too naive, Sensei.”

Through the pain, the Third responds, “You're right, Orochimaru. I was naive. Not killing you when I had the chance was my second greatest mistake as Hokage. But even so, I tried my best to protect future generations of the village! Those who would carry on after me! My pupils, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and you, Orochimaru. My student Kon, and my grandson. And every single person in the village! That is the Will of Fire! Giving everything I have to protect the village and the next generation, so that an even greater Hokage may take my place!”

At that moment, Konohamaru uses all the chakra he had been building up this whole time. Every last bit that he can force out goes into his technique, “Summoning Jutsu!” From the smoke appears the Monkey King, Enma. He catches the now unconscious Konohamaru before he hits the ground.

Even as Orochimaru's sword continues to cut up his insides, our teacher continues. “So that though I may die, the village will stand strong forever! That is why you could never succeed me! You never understood that! It is not mastery of every jutsu that makes you a great ninja! It is to endure hardship protecting those that are precious to you!”

“Enough of your prattling, old man! Always with your meaningless talk of villages!” Orochimaru shouts as he removes his sword from Sarutobi Sensei's body, “I don't care about any of that! You've long overstayed your welcome! Just die already!”

He makes several more slashes all over the Third's body, and the former Hokage falls motionless to the ground.

“Sarutobi!” Enma shouts as he rushes over to our teacher's body. Enma grabs him and returns to Konohamaru and Tsunade's side.

Tsunade stands up and bites her thumb, making some hand seals. Orochimaru calls Kabuto to his side to do the same, “Summoning Jutsu!”

In two giant puffs of smoke, appear a giant slug and a giant snake. They face each other down.

“Enma,” Tsunade calls, “Adamantine Staff Transformation.”

“Right,” Enma responds. He transforms into a large staff and flies into Tsunade's hands,

“It ends here, Orochimaru!” Tsunade calls, “For the sake of the village, I will stop you!”

As Tsunade rushes into battle, I fall back to Shizune, Konohamaru, and Sarutobi Sensei.

“You're a medical ninja, can you do something?” I ask desperately.

“It's too much for me,” she replies, already trying her healing jutsu. “Maybe if I can just keep him holding on until Lady Tsunade is finished...”

At that, the Third manages to speak, “Stop,” he groans. He points a finger to Konohamaru, “Take care of Konohamaru. He's lost a lot of chakra.”

Shizune is unable to refuse and starts treating Konohamaru instead. I try to see what you can do with my release, using it as a defibrillator to keep his heart going, but it doesn't help for long. I haven't practiced this, and I'm not sure if I'm causing more harm than good.

By the time the fight has wound down, I'm sure he is about to slip away. Tsunade staggers over, exhausted.

“They got away,” she pants.

“Hurry up and try to heal Sensei!” I plead, tears welling up in my eyes.

Tsunade kneels and her palms start to glow.

“His heart's torn in too many places,” she pants. I can see wrinkles forming on her skin for some reason, “I've used too much chakra. If I wasn't so tired, maybe I could do it.”

Sarutobi Sensei manages to speak again, “It's okay, Tsunade. I'm not the one you need to heal. Save your energy for those who will carry on after me. I've lived a fine life as it is.”

“You can't die, Sensei,” I say as the tears begin to roll down my face.

“Kon,” he says. “As long as the Will of Fire remains in you, I will never die. Remember that.”

I try and force a smile through my tears, “We protect what those who went ahead of us cherished, so those that come after will have a future. If anyone asks... that's what I'll tell them you taught me.”

“That is good,” my teacher mutters, “I know you will protect the village. One more thing. Please, take care of Konohamaru.”

With that, the Third Hokage closes his eyes for the last time.

Tsunade stops her jutsu and stands up. She walks a bit away and stands there for a while, facing away from me.

“Shizune, do you know how to seal objects in scrolls?” I ask. “We need to take Sensei back to the village.”

Shizune pulls out a scroll and starts work on sealing the Third's body into it. Meanwhile, I go over to Konohamaru, still unconscious, and carry him.

I call over to Tsunade, “Are you coming back to the village?”

Tsunade is silent for a while. The ground in front of her is wet, so she must have been crying, but her eyes are dry when she turns to me.

“Yes,” she responds, “I'm responsible for Sensei's death. The only way I could dream of making it up to him is to follow his will. I will heal this Itachi, and he will become a great Hokage.”

I take the scroll from Shizune once she's finished, and all of us start to head out. Soon, Konohamaru wakes up on my back.

“Bro?” he asks, still in a daze, “What happened? Is grandpa okay?”

I tell Konohamaru what happened after he passed out. I make sure to emphasize Sarutobi Sensei's words, so Konohamaru doesn't take it quite as hard.

Konohamaru doesn't say anything. He just grips onto my jacket tighter and cries into it. The rest of the trip back to the village is done in almost complete silence. When I do arrive, the mood is solemn, as Shizune sent word ahead.

The day after I return, the Third's funeral is held. The entire village is there.

I stand next to Konohamaru in the pouring rain.

“Why?” Konohamaru asks. He isn't crying, but I suspect that's just because he's all cried out, “Why do people have to die? Even when they bring so many other people happiness?”

“Because there are people out there who only care about their own happiness,” I answer. “And they don't care how many other people get hurt for it. We fight, and we die so that those we care about can be happier. Because we aren't like them, and we will never be them.”

I calm down a bit, “Sarutobi sensei lived his life to protect others, and he saw that life through to the end. That was the duty he took upon himself as Hokage.”

I force another smile, “When you're old enough, you'll do a fine job protecting the happiness he cherished. I know it.”

Konohamaru looks up, resolve in his eyes, “Yeah, I will.”

As the funeral ends, the rain stops, and the clouds give way. The sun begins to shine brightly. Shining on a hopeful future.


	7. Work as Usual

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our hero gets a little downtime before it's back to work as usual.

It's the day after the Third Hokage's funeral, but I don't start missions again until tomorrow. I lumber my way downstairs and eat some breakfast that my uncle has prepared.

“You should go catch up with your friends today, Kon,” my uncle insists, “Many of them haven't seen you since before the village was attacked. I'm sure they're worried.”

The two of us finish eating, and my uncle gets ready to open his restaurant for the day. I think about what I want to do with my time.

I decide to just wander around the village, maybe it'll clear my mind.

As I walk around, I notice that all the damage from the attack has long since been fixed. The police go about their patrols, politely greeting people they pass by. Children run back and forth, laughing. I feel like I really get a sense of what it is that my teacher wanted to protect.

As my head starts to clear, I also notice that it's about lunchtime, and people are heading into various stalls to grab a bite to eat. Nearby, I see a ramen stand, "Ichiraku". I think I've heard the name before.

As I approach, I see the stall totally packed. In one of the seats, I see a familiar face. It's Sai, from my class. He's talking to one of the employees while holding what seems to be a joke book.

“You don't have to worry about me, Ayame,” Sai says before looking down at his book. “Making all these noodles for the lunch rush, you're stretched thin as it is.”

The woman chuckles and goes to serve someone else, while Sai jots something down in his notebook, same emotionless face as ever. Once he's done writing, he turns and sees me.

“Ah, it's you,” he says with his monotone voice. “It's been quite a while, Kon.”

“Hello, Sai,” I greet him, “It's been awhile. How have you been doing?”

I take a seat that's opened up next to Sai and order myself a bowl of ramen.

“Mostly the same as ever,” Sai responds, “Besides the fact that Guy Sensei has been training us constantly with all his might. He's sore about being the only Jonin with no rookies that got promoted.”

My ramen arrives and I try it out. It's really good ramen. Not as good as anything my uncle makes, though.

“Lee recovered recently, as well,” Sai goes on, “He certainly rocked the doctor's expectations. They expected him to be in that cast for another two weeks. I'm sure he'd like it if you visited him. He's already excited about the prospect of a rematch.”

I finish my ramen and pay.

“Well, let's go see him then,” I suggest.

Sai leads me out to the training grounds where Lee and Sakura are currently sparring. Lee certainly doesn't look like his arm just got done being broken. When they see me approach, they take a break.

“It is good to see you again, Kon,” Lee smiles as he shoots me a thumbs up. “I am sure you have been undergoing strict training. I myself have only recently recovered, but make no mistake, I will be sure to catch up to you!”

“I was just dropping in to say hi,” I explain after returning Lee's thumbs-up, “A lot of people I know were all bandaged up when I left. Good to see one of you at least in high spirits.”

“Speaking of which,” Sakura interrupts, “Sasuke's been down ever since he found out about his brother's illness. I can't imagine he feels any better after what happened on your mission. Try to cheer him up, will you?”

The two of them go back to training and Sai joins them, while I leave the training grounds.

I decide to track down Sasuke and see what I can do about his mood.

I go to his house, but the only person there is Sasuke's mother. She directs me to the hospital where I'll currently find Sasuke.

When I arrive, I find myself in a room with Tsunade, Shizune, Itachi, and Sasuke. Itachi is sitting, getting his blood drawn by Shizune, while Tsunade examines him using some kind of jutsu. Sasuke is sitting by the wall and sees me as I come in.

“Hey, Kon,” he greets me. “I guess I need to thank you, huh?”

“Don't worry about it, you'd have done the same for me,” I reply, “So how have you been? I heard you were feeling down.”

“Hmph,” Sasuke grunts, “I was. But now, it's not fair to hold it against you for being strong enough to face Gaara when I couldn't. I was irritated about someone keeping his condition a secret too, but you went and solved that as well. You're something else, Kon.”

“Neji really did all the work against Gaara, I didn't do much,” I insist. “As for being strong, you're plenty strong yourself. We'll train together again, and you'll see.”

“We've got a mission tomorrow,” Sasuke smirks, “The team's back together again. I'm looking forward to it.”

Before I can leave, Itachi calls me over.

“Kon, is it?” He asks, “I can't thank you enough. For looking after my brother, and for enduring what you have on my behalf. To be honest, it's somewhat of a burden to have so many people put their faith in me like this. That I may bring prosperity to the village someday. Tell me, Kon. What are your aspirations as a ninja? What do you want to do for this village, in the future?”

“I don't know if I want to aspire to a certain position or anything yet,” I answer, “But I will protect as many people as I can, however I can. I owe it to my parents, I promised it to Sarutobi sensei... and I guess I take a little pride in it too.”

Itachi smiles, “That alone is a good aspiration to have. Lord Jiraiya is anxious for me to recover so he can get out of the office and return to his own devices. When that time comes, I'm sure I can count on you.”

Once Itachi has finished, I leave the hospital. It's almost evening now, so I might have time to meet with someone else before dinner.

I head over to the weapon shop and catch Tenten as she's closing up for the day.

“Good to see you again, Kon,” she greets me.

“It sure has been a while. When you left for so long without telling anybody, I was ready to be mad at you, but I guess now it's a good thing you went,” she says, her head tilted down.

“Yeah, sorry about that, it was kind of short notice,” I respond, “Didn't I promise to tell you about my release before? I never did do that.”

“Hey, yeah. You did,” Tenten replies. “With all that happened, it kind of just slipped my mind.”

I tell Tenten about my release, and what I've been able to do with my training. She tries to act like it's no big deal, but I can tell she thinks it's cool.

“So how have you been doing?” I ask.

“I've been swamped with missions lately,” Tenten answers with a sigh, “Being a Chunin is a pain, as Shikamaru loves to put it. You'll find out yourself here, in a bit. Other than that, things have pretty much returned to normal. The attack might as well be a thing of the distant past.”

The sun is starting to set.

“So, Tenten,” say, trying to sound casual, “Do you want to go get dinner together?”

“Well, I don't have anything going right now,” Tenten thinks for a second, “And your uncle's food is pretty great. Sure, let's go.”

Before I can make any further clarifications, Tenten heads off in the direction of my uncle's shop, leaving me to follow.

When I arrive, my uncle gives me a sly grin and laughs at my expense before serving up a meal. As we eat, the two of us talk about various things, training, and missions, and such.

“You know...” I start, “We never did get our match.”

“I suppose not,” Tenten notes, “But we could always spar anytime. I'm pretty sure you'd wipe the floor with me anyway though, so I'm not even sure if I want it now.”

The two of us soon finish eating. It's just about curfew now.

It's getting late, so Tenten makes to leave.

As she's doing so, I comment, “You know, we should do this sort of thing more often.”

“I certainly wouldn't mind. I love coming here,” Tenten replies, “Good luck on your mission tomorrow.”

Once she leaves I head up for bed, intending to be ready early for my mission.

...

The next morning, I arrive at the designated location to find Kiba and Sasuke already there.

“Come on dude, you aren't interested in her, right?” I hear Kiba talking with Sasuke, “So help me out here! Tell me what she's like!”

“I told you, I don't even know her that well. She just works for my family,” Sasuke replies, irritated, “Anyway, I've got more important things to do than help you out with girls. I'd rather spend my time training.”

“It's been a while, Kiba,” I call as I approach. “From what I hear, you've gotten over Haku?”

“Oh, shut up!” Kiba barks at me as I laugh, “So while you were gone, Sasuke and I went on this mission, right? Well, we met this girl, Tamaki. She's super cute and she likes animals just like me. She seemed like she was kind of into Sasuke, but he says he's not interested, so I wanted him to help me out. I guess I'll put it on hold for now, though. We do have a mission.”

“That's right,” Sasuke says, “Are you guys ready to go?”

“I'm ready,” I tell them.

“Good. Let's head to the gate to pick up the scroll,” Sasuke says. “You're the leader on this mission, so you're going to receive it and get briefed. Kakashi Sensei won't be with us today.”

“Alright, let's go, team,” I say confidently. My first mission as a team leader. I'm going to do our Sensei proud.

I arrive at the gate to find another Chunin there. He takes out a scroll as we approach.

“This scroll contains classified information, designated for the Western outpost staff. Bring it to them and they'll know the hand signs necessary to open the seal on this scroll. Once they confirm that they've received the message, report back.”

“Is there anything else I need to know?” I ask.

“Just the standard 'don't try and look in the scroll',” the Chunin responds, “This is a C rank mission, but I doubt you guys will run into anyone. Your team was chosen for its speed, so just get out there and get to it.”

My team takes off to the West, headed for the outpost.

I set a fast pace, but nothing that will wear us out too much. By the time we arrive at the outpost, it's nearly nightfall.

There is supposed to be someone posted directly outside, but I don't see signs of anyone.

“Kiba. You and Akamaru go scope things out,” I direct, “Sasuke and I will stay here and wait for your signal.”

Kiba and Akamaru take off, carefully closing in on the outpost. I see them disappear inside for a moment, but they come right back out to our hiding place.

“They were just cloaking themselves with genjutsu, guys,” he explains.

The three of us go into the outpost to find the staff all there.

“We thought we saw some unidentified ninja, and we were taking precautions,” A Jonin explains, “Do you have the scroll?”

I produce the scroll, and the Jonin makes several hand signs to undo the seal. After reading it, he prepares another scroll and hands it to me.

“I've received the message,” he states, “I need you to get this scroll back to the village as soon as possible. We might need some backup.”

I waste no time in taking off towards the village, and we move as fast as we possibly can.

We arrive at the gate about an hour before sunup and hand the scroll to a Chunin waiting there. He unseals it, then reads its contents.

“They need some specialized ninja for this one,” the chunin tells us. “Good job, guys. File the report, and then get some sleep.”

The chunin disappears in a puff of smoke.

“Is that it?” Kiba asks, still panting.

“Hey, we did our job guys,” I pant, “And I still have to do paperwork. Unless you want to do it, Kiba?”

“No thanks, I'm going to bed,” Kiba says as he takes off.

“Good luck with that, Kon,” I hear from Sasuke as he leaves as well.

I head to the main hall and file the mission report. It's not too bad, but I can see how doing a lot of these could get tedious.

By the time I get home, the sun is rising. I head straight up to bed to get some sleep.

My first mission as leader may have been uneventful, but at least I got off on the right foot.

...

I may be a Chunin now, but our missions don't manage to be any more exciting despite being C rank. The next week or so sees me and our team doing missions as couriers and escorts, but mostly in the village or near it. Not once did me or our team meet any hostilities, but I've had to face a formidable amount of paperwork.

Though I've been busy with missions, I have found a fair amount of free time to do as I wish.

I spend time training with my Impact techniques and manage to make a new one. By focusing my Impact chakra to a single point, then releasing it in a thin stream, I can fire a beam of concussive force that punches straight through most substances. Its piercing effect is impressive, but the beam itself is very thin. I may have trouble hitting fast-moving targets.

I also spend some time with Konohamaru, to see how he's doing. His attitude is remarkably good, and his training hasn't slowed down one bit. His teacher Ebisu has nothing but constant praise for him.

I also attempt to spend some more time with Tenten, but my conflicting schedules make it difficult. Though she does apologize and promises to teach me some sealing jutsu when we both have time.

I'm woken up early one morning by my uncle. The sun has barely risen.

“Kon, you need to get up!” my uncle calls, “The Hokage has sent for you!”

I get ready and head straight over to the Hokage's office to find Tenten and Shikamaru already there. Jiraiya looks at the three of us, his face serious.

“You three are about to receive an urgent mission,” the Fifth states, “Hinata Hyuga has deserted the village, in the company of four of Orochimaru's men.”

Tenten reacts with disbelief, “She joined Orochimaru? That's not possible!”

“Well, it happened,” Jiraiya replies, “I don't know what she was thinking, but we can't let our ninja be swayed. Not again. You three will be heading to retrieve her.”

“We're just newly promoted Chunin,” Shikamaru interrupts, “At the very least, we should be accompanied by a Jonin. Can't you send anyone with us?”

“There is no one,” the Hokage answers, “Almost all of my Jonin are off laying the groundwork for diplomatic operations. Everyone that remains is necessary for the defense of the village. You three are the only ones I can rely on. I've called Neji back, but he won't make it in time. The Sound ninja already have a lead of several hours. You three need to leave in the next 30 minutes if you hope to catch up. Grab a couple of Genin to accompany you if necessary, but move fast.”

The three of us leave the office to find Sasuke waiting directly outside. Apparently, he's already aware of the situation somehow.

“I'm coming with you,” he insists. “I'm partially to blame for this.”

“Well, I'm gonna go grab someone I can trust,” Shikamaru says, as he turns to head off, “I'll meet you all at the gate.”

“We could have time to find one more genin to join us,” Tenten notes, “But any more than that, and I don't think we'd have an effective squad.”

“I'd suggest bringing Kiba,” Sasuke adds, “But unfortunately, he's off on some mission with his family. You got any ideas, Kon?”

“I say we bring Haku or Shino then,” I suggest, “They can both track pretty well.”

“I don't know if we're actually allowed to bring Haku,” Sasuke interrupts, “He's not technically a ninja of our village as far as I know.”

“We should definitely bring Shino, though,” Tenten adds, “Hinata is his teammate, too.”

The three of us go to the Aburame residence as quickly as we can. After telling Shino that Hinata has deserted, he joins us and we leave for the village gates. When we arrive, Shikamaru's already there, and he brought Choji.

“Wait one moment,” Shino insists, “All three of you are Chunin, but who is the leader on this mission? We don't want to have to deal with conflicting orders.”

“Shikamaru is the smartest out of all of us,” I reply, “He should be the leader.”

Everyone agrees with my statement, and with a groan, Shikamaru accepts.

“Fine then,” Shikamaru addresses the group, “First thing: Our Formation.”

“I'm in front,” Sasuke interjects, “With my Sharingan, I can keep a sharper eye out than any of you.”

“If that's what you want.” Shikamaru sighs, “How about this, then?”

Shikamaru makes a diagram on a piece of paper.

Sasuke  
Shino  
Shikamaru  
Tenten  
Choji  
Kon

“Any objections?” Shikamaru asks.

“Wouldn't Shino be better as a rearguard?” I ask, “He's got a much better sensory range than me. And I was thinking Choji could be moved forward too.”

“I had Shino upfront for his tracking capabilities so he could help direct Sasuke as we move, but if you think Sasuke can handle it alone, we can make him rear guard.”

He draws a diagram on the other side.

Sasuke  
Shikamaru  
Choji  
Tenten  
Kon  
Shino

“It's either this one or the first one,” Shikamaru states, “We don't have any more time to waste.”

“You were right, Shikamaru,” I admit, “The first one was better.”

“Then we're ready to head out,” Shikamaru says, as he tucks the paper away, “One last thing. I never talked to Hinata much. I can't really say I know a lot about her. But she's our comrade. A shinobi from the Village Hidden in the Leaves. And we're going to bring her back.”

As we leave, Shikamaru fills us in on his long term plan.

“We have the enemy outnumbered,” he notes. “So to use that to our advantage, we're going to use a little strategy I like to call 'cascading'. They will likely want to break off one at a time to slow us down, so if they do, we drop two guys and keep moving. They double team the enemy and take him out as fast as possible, then catch up so they can help out farther ahead, further increasing our numerical advantage. Got it?”

Everyone nods. From this point, it all comes down to perception, as we all watch our designated areas.

As we move, everyone keeps an eye out for their areas. I have trouble dealing with being rearguard, but luckily most of the team ahead of me covers for me and I don't have anything to trip up.

Sasuke however, tired from his extended Sharingan use, falls out of it just in time to trip a hidden wire while crossing one in clear sight. Luckily for him, Shino was able to use his bugs to stop him just in time, but it slowed us all down.

As we're stopped, Shikamaru notices some paper bombs attached to the trees.

“Looks like they set up a barrier seal here,” Shikamaru notes, “We've already lost some time, but we'll have to go around.”

As the group makes its way around the sealed area, Shino speaks up.

“My beetles have picked up the scent of blood,” he tells the group, “In that direction. There was a battle.”

“But the trail these guys left behind heads on,” Sasuke adds, “What do we do?”

“Tenten, put a reverse summoning seal on me,” I tell her, “I'll check it out, then you summon me back in ten minutes, or if you need me.”

“Well, it worked like a charm last time,” Shikamaru admits, “Let's do it.”

Tenten applies the seal onto me, then I take off in the direction Shino indicated.

When I arrive, I see the forest destroyed by a battle. Two Leaf Jonin lie wounded from the fight. One with a scar across the right of his face, the other with a toothpick in his mouth.

Neither of them look like they're in good condition.

I approach one, and he speaks.

“Hey, are you chasing those Sound ninja?” he groans, “They're out of your league, you can't do it.”

“Honestly, after Kabuto and that giant sand demon I'm not too worried,” I tell the Jonin, “We've got a team of six, and could really use the support of some experienced Jonin though. Besides, they took one of our comrades with them. We can't just abandon her.”

The Jonin coughs up some blood, his toothpick falling out.

“Well you're not gonna find help here,” he groans, “Those guys have the curse seal. They even transform to get stronger.”

Before the Jonin can tell me more, he passes out.

Two more Jonin arrive at the clearing. I recognize one as Hayate Gekko.

“Genma! Raidou!” Hayate calls, “Damn, this is too much! We can't treat you here.”

Hayate and the other Jonin grab the two wounded ones and start to take off for the village.

“Kon,” Hayate calls back to me, “Be careful.”

After a bit longer, Tenten summons me and we start moving again.

“So?” Shikamaru asks, “You find out anything?”

“They have a curse seal that lets them transform and makes them stronger,” I explain. “They were able to take out two Jonin, but we can still beat them if we can get them before they start taking us seriously.”

“We'll have to watch ourselves, then,” Shikamaru replies.

Up ahead, Sasuke stops, “I think I see them. They're all gathered in a clearing a little ways ahead. They might be resting.”

“So someone's got to go scope it out,” Shikamaru states.

Everyone carefully takes positions in the bushes nearby, as Shino's bugs go-ahead to scope things out.

I take a good look at the enemies. There are indeed four of them, and there also seem to be some kind of wooden tub covered in seals.

“I'll take out the creepiest looking one,” say, preparing my jutsu, “Do any of them have glasses? No offense, Shino.”

Shino doesn't laugh, and instead turns to me in panic, “The spider webs!” he calls.

The moment he does, I feel myself dragged into the air and thrown out in front of the enemies along with the rest of our teammates, their focus now entirely on me.

“Little bugs got caught in my web,” says one of them with a smile.

One of them, a large guy with orange hair, has already prepared some hand signs and uses a jutsu, “Earth Release: Earth Dome Prison!”

The ground around our group moves and forms a dome around the six of us.

From outside I hear the enemies talking, “You sure didn't waste any time, did you Jirobo?”

“There were a lot of them, and I'm real' hungry.”

“Of course you are fatass. Well, we're leaving. don't take too much time.”

The six of us are now trapped in a dome of earth, with one enemy outside.

I set off attacking the walls, for Sasuke to find the weakest part of the dome. Meanwhile, Shikamaru strikes up a conversation.

“Hey, can't you just let us out?” Shikamaru asks, “You guys can have Hinata, and we'll just leave.”

“Yeah, right,” Jirobo replies, “I'm not letting any of you go. But feel free to plead for your lives some more.”

By this point, Sasuke has observed and found the weakest point in the dome. It's opposite where Jirobo's voice was coming from.

“This dome is absorbing our chakra,” Sasuke states, “We have to get out fast. But it repairs itself, so that point is our best bet. Let's hit it with everything we've got.”

“I'll do it,” I state.

I go up to the point that Sasuke indicated and hammer it with blows. My release cracks the wall over and over until it finally falls. The team rushes out as the dome collapses.

“Nice work, Kon,” Shikamaru praises me. He makes his hand signs, “Shadow Possession Jutsu!”

Shiamaru's shadow extends toward Jirobo, but the large man isn't amused.

“I don't like the look of that,” he says, “So I'll get rid of it!”

He punches the ground, and the entire terrain starts to crumble and break. Our team retreats to a distance and hides.

“We don't have time to waste here,” Shikamaru whispers, “The rest of them are already on the move with Hinata. Who's taking this guy?”

“Choji and Shino can take him,” I suggest.

“I follow you,” Shikamaru replies, “That's a good team for this. Everyone else follows me."

Shino and Choji nod and turn to face Jirobo, while the other four of us keep going.

We readjust our formation. I'm closer to the enemy than before, so the lack of Shino in the formation isn't too bad a flaw.

Soon, Shikamaru speaks up, “Guys, we may have to adjust just a bit. If we keep splitting off two at a time, we're gonna lose Hinata. We have no guarantee that we'll finish the fights fast enough to reach her. And we absolutely can not let her slip away. So from here, we'll have to split off one at a time, and hold our own until the others cascade down. It's the only way to be sure.”

“I don't like it, but you're right,” I admit.

The four of us keep moving forward. After a while, Sasuke speaks up, “There have been no traps at all. They probably think we're dead.”

“Underestimating us, huh?” Shikamaru muses, “We could use this to our advantage. A transformation Jutsu into that bug guy would do nicely.”

“Sounds good,” I say.

Shikamaru transforms into Jirobo and approaches the enemy group. I try to look for an opening to use my jutsu, but Shikamaru seems to have failed and is attacked by the guy with six arms as the other two move ahead.

The three of us move in to cover Shikamaru.

I stand back and prepare my new jutsu, looking for an opening.

The others try and rush him, but he just spits up some spider webs and they all get stuck.

I get my opening and fire my beam. It hits straight through his torso and he falls over.

Sasuke has used a fire jutsu to free himself and the others, and they've joined me.

Before Shikamaru can make any more plans, the six-armed guy gets back up, but with the curse marks covering his body.

“You guys really aren't any fun at all!” he screams, “And you can break out of my webs? I'm gonna get rid of you guys right now!”

“We need to go!” Shikamaru urges, “Who's staying?”

“Not me,” Sasuke states, “I need to keep going, and meet Hinata.”

“I'll do it,” I tell them, “Call me when you need me.”

The others wish me luck and take off, leaving me with the enemy.

“So, you like piercing attacks, huh?” the guy asks, “Let me show you my own.”

He coughs up some strange brown web and starts spitting up arrowheads at me.

I inhale and spin as the arrowheads approach, “Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!”

The arrowheads are knocked off in other directions, leaving me unharmed. Meanwhile, however, my enemy has hidden himself in the trees.

An army of spiders descend and attack me.

I jump back to get some space and start throwing out tags. The spiders are all enveloped in explosions one after the other.

I start throwing tags out elsewhere as well, if nothing else, to at least give him fewer hiding spots.

I try to hide myself, but it never works for long before I'm set upon by spiders again and forced to move.

Eventually, there are few spots left that he could be hiding, and the largest spider I've seen yet comes to attack me, spewing its webs, threatening to envelop me.

I prepare my jutsu, “Impact Release: Shattershot!”

The blast pushes the web back over the spider while knocking the spider down. I throw another explosive tag to finish it.

As I use my jutsu, an arrow made of the same material as those arrowheads from before flies right towards where I'm standing. Had it not been knocked off course, it surely would have killed me. This guy isn't fooling around. If I don't keep moving, I'm going to die.

I hurry and summon Sarujizo before he fires another arrow.

Once I've summoned him, the monkey looks around, “Let me guess, same plan?”

I nod, and Sarujizo takes my form.

While moving to dodge the arrows, the two of us saturate the landscape with explosives. We eventually run out, but there isn't a single place for him to hide.

I prepare for a fight but notice something. A familiar bug nearby.

I smirk.

“What?” my enemy barks at me, “Just what's so funny? You still don't have a chance!”

As he says so, Choji bursts in from the side, chakra bursting from his back. He lays a punch right on my opponent, knocking him out cold.

“Hey, Kon,” Choji pants, “I still had some time left over in this form, so I decided I'd help you out.”

Choji falls over, clearly spent. Shino catches up and explains Choji's technique.

“He'll be out of it for a while,” Shino says, “It's regrettable, but we have to leave him here and keep moving.”

“You're right,” I admit, “But we need to make sure that guy doesn't get up. Drain him.”

“My pleasure,” Shino responds.

As Shino sets on his task, I put Choji in a relatively safe spot, but one that will still be noticeable to anyone trying to find him.

Before I can return to Shino, I disappear in a puff of smoke. When I reappear I see Tenten in front of me, seriously wounded.

“So she called in some help, huh?” I hear from behind me, “I guess she's not outnumbered anymore!”

I turn to see two red men with horns. They must be the ones who Tenten fought.

“Maybe you'll be a bit more fun?” one asks, “That girl there couldn't dream of keeping up once we went to level two.”

Tenten looks out of it. She likely won't be able to fight any further. I'll have to fight them alone.

Before me stand two red men, with horns. Somehow, despite just fighting Tenten, they don't seem to have any injuries.

Tenten, however, is behind me, not looking good at all. It doesn't seem life-threatening, but she's barely hanging on to consciousness.

“Kon...” Tenten manages to mutter, “Don't let them touch you.”

After her warning, Tenten seems to have passed out.

“So she thinks you can succeed where she failed?” one of the men asks, “She barely managed to get us away long enough to summon you in the first place.”

“Enough of this,” the other man says, “We've wasted too much time. Let's kill this guy quickly.”

The two rush at me. 

As they charge, I quickly perform hand signs, “Impact Release: Shattershot!”

One of them meets it head-on, but the other's eyes go wide as I perform it, and jumps backward before being hit.

As they're laid out on the ground, I perform another jutsu, “Summoning Jutsu!”

This time, three monkeys sit before me. One covering his eyes, one covering his ears, and the other covering his mouth.

Before I can give them any orders, one of the red guys jumps up to me and does something strange, he starts to meld into my body until only his head sticks out.

“Thought you were going to stun me, did you?” he laughs, “Kabuto told us about you. If you move in the same direction as your blast, the impact doesn't stun you. Did you not even know that about your own technique? Now, our bodies are synced up. It's a very unique technique, only my brother and I can do. Save for your friend there, no one has ever lived after experiencing it. Though we intend to fix that, don't we, Sakon?”

The other man manages to get up, his movements shaky.

“Why didn't you warn me, Ukon?” he barks at his brother, “I can barely move.”

An arm sticks out of my shoulder and grabs my own.

“I'll just hold you here until my brother is ready,” Ukon says.

“Mizaru, Kikazaru, Iwazaru, use your jutsu!” I call to the monkeys. They move their hands long enough to form the hand signs, then once they place them again, the jutsu activates.

Sakon and Ukon lose their ability to see, hear or speak. However, so do I. It must be a result of Ukon being in my body. I decide that I need to force him out.

I focus my Impact chakra in the parts of my body that seem out of place, likely Ukon. Using the chakra, I vibrate these parts until eventually, Ukon seems to separate.

I regain my senses to see Sakon rampaging wildly and Ukon near me, who's doubled over in pain. Using my precise chakra control, I haven't injured myself, but I'm getting pretty tired. It might be worth it to stall these guys out instead of attacking them. There is also still the matter of keeping Tenten safe.

Immediately seizing the chance to take one of them down, I stab Ukon while he's down. Enough times to make sure that he is certainly dead.

Now, I turn to Sakon. He's flailing wildly, but with how tired I am, that's still plenty dangerous. I opt to move Tenten to a safer spot and do the same with all three monkeys.

I wait for a long while for Sakon to tire himself out, but before I get the chance to move in, Sakon's been grabbed by something else.

It pulls him in, before impaling him within its body, Sakon dying without being able to make a sound.

A familiar figure steps out. It's Kankuro.

“Did you have that one? Sorry,” he says sarcastically.

“Thanks,” I reply, “Between this guy and the last one, I'm running low. So what are you doing here?”

“We were ordered to come and back you guys up,” Kankuro explains, “The Sand owes the Leaf too much, we basically have to obey you now. Not that I mind helping you out, that is.”

Soon, Shino arrives.

“I passed Shikamaru and Temari,” he tells me, “They're going back for Choji and that enemy, as Shikamaru is unable to continue. Apparently a fifth enemy came along, and now Sasuke is pursuing alone.”

“You want me to take her back?” Kankuro asks, pointing to Tenten.

“Go ahead,” I tell Kankuro.

He takes Tenten and heads for the village, while me and Shino continue. We eventually reach a clearing. It seems strangely cold here.

I immediately see why. There are pillars of ice everywhere, and in the center of the clearing, I see Haku, run through by what looks like a bone, sticking out of a man with several other bones protruding from him.

“You may have found purpose, but so have I,” the man says, “And no one will deny me of it.”

Haku falls to the ground. He doesn't seem to be lethally injured, as he continues to try and get up. The man ignores him and turns to me and Shino.

“More of them?” he asks, “So be it.”

He prepares to attack.

“Shino, get your bugs on him!” I direct, “I'll check on Haku!”

I make my way past the man as he attacks the approaching swarm of insects. I approach Haku and check on him. He's been stabbed, but not a single vital area has been hit.

“He didn't kill me on purpose,” Haku pants, “Remind you of someone?” Haku grins, despite clearly being in pain.

“I can still assist you with some jutsu perhaps,” Haku says, “But I doubt I'll be moving much as I am.”

I look back. Shino has managed to stay out of the man's range, but being covered in bugs that drain his chakra seems to have agitated him. His skin changes color as larger bones protrude from his body.

“I have precious little time as it is,” the man says, “And you insist on cutting it shorter. Then it seems I will have to give my all if I am to be of any use.”

He rushes toward Shino, running faster than ever. I doubt Shino can keep away for long.

“Haku, try and freeze his legs!” I direct.

Meanwhile, I aim with my jutsu. I likely will only get one shot before Shino will be killed.

Haku uses his jutsu, but it only manages to slow the man down. He slashes at the ice with his bones as he steps forward.

As he approaches Shino, Shino tries to hold him in place with his bugs, but the man just swats them away while extending the bone in his arm to wound Shino in the process.

But that moment gives me a perfect shot, and I fire my jutsu. The beam travels straight through his chest, and the man heaves up blood. I've likely punctured a lung.

Despite the wound, the man manages to stand back up.

“I'm not done,” he groans.

Shino meanwhile, has retreated back to my and Haku's position. His cut isn't too deep, but he should get that treated soon.

The man stumbles toward the three of us, holding out the bones from his arms, his breath heavy.

As the man approaches, I prepare another jutsu, “Impact Release: Shattershot!”

The blast pushes the man back. He lays still for a while, then struggles to get up again.

“You don't have to die here, you know,” I tell the man, “We can stop right now.”

“I cannot,” the man groans as he coughs up more blood, “My time is coming to an end. I can only hope I was of use to Lord Orochimaru.”

He manages to stand again and stumbles further forward. I get ready to use another jutsu, but it's not necessary. He falls before reaching me. He doesn't move again.

Shino and Haku sigh in relief and start treating their wounds as best they can for now.

Once they're finished, Haku addresses me, “I'm afraid I can't accompany you any further. I'm sorry.”

“I must relent as well,” Shino admits, “Not just this wound, but my chakra is suffering as well. Will you press on to meet Sasuke?”

“Yes,” I respond, “I'm the only Chunin left. I have to go on.”

Shino offers me what explosive tags he has before he and Haku set off for the village.

I head off toward the border, and after a long, while traveling, I arrive at the Valley of the End. The statues of the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha stand tall.

I see a figure on top of the Madara statue, and on top of the First Hokage's statue, I see two figures. Someone besides Hinata and Sasuke is here. The figure on top of Madara falls over, seeming to have been beaten.

I head over to the figure on Madara's statue. It is in fact Sasuke, who seems to be incapable of moving now.

“I can't believe I was so foolish,” he mutters, “That person she wanted to reach. He's right there.”

I look over to the statue of the First Hokage. Hinata stands there, her curse mark in the process of receding. Next to her stands a figure in a black cloak with red clouds. It's not Orochimaru or Sasori, yet he somehow looks familiar. He's a young man, likely my age. He wears no headband and has blond, spiky hair. He has lines on his face like whiskers, and his eyes are currently a vibrant red.

He looks at me. His eyes look demonic, and I freeze. No matter how I will it, my body won't move.

“Your friend there is finished,” he tells me, “I'd rather not kill you, so why don't you just take off.”

With that he heads over the border, calling back to Hinata, “Well, didn't you say you were coming?”

She looks in the direction of me and Sasuke one last time before leaving.

“Of course, Naruto,” She says.

I'm left on the statue beside Sasuke, as it starts to rain.


	8. Land of Snow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our hero goes on a mission to the Land of Snow.

As the rain continues to fall, I head back to the village, carrying Sasuke. He slipped out of consciousness almost as soon as our two adversaries left, and I'm unsure of the extent of his injuries. Taking that and my own state compared to our opponent's in mind, I decide to pull back.

As I travel, I notice Sasuke gripping a Leaf headband. His own is still on his head, so it must be Hinata's.

After several hours of travel, I arrive at the village gates. I'm greeted by some members of the medical corps, who take Sasuke.

“You should get checked out too,” one recommends, “You look absolutely exhausted.”

Before I can even argue, my fatigue catches up to me. My vision fails as I start to collapse.

When I wake again, I find myself in a hospital room. It seems to be morning.

Shikamaru is sitting on a chair by the wall. He looks fine, save for his finger in a cast.

“Hey,” he greets me, “You must have been tired. You got back with the least injuries of anybody, that's hard work.”

”How are the others?” I ask.

“Choji was in critical condition for a while, but he's stabilized,” Shikamaru responds. “Everyone else has been treated, nothing life-threatening. They're making Tenten and Sasuke stay here a bit longer, though.”

Shikamaru gets up and starts to leave, “Well, it's good to see you doing okay. Lord Jiraiya will want to talk to you once you get the chance.”

Shikamaru leaves without another word. He looks almost depressed.

Feeling refreshed, I get up and get ready to leave.

I decide to check on my comrades before I go see the Hokage.

I enter Tenten's room to find her sitting up, covered head to toe in bandages.

“Kon, you're okay!” she says, before letting the surprise fall off her face, “Of course you are. You're way too strong, you know that?”

Tenten looks out the window, “I couldn't even hold those guys off long enough to help anyone. Good thing I had that technique to get you to save me, huh?" Tenten sighs, “I need some kind of crazy training like you got.”

“You're pretty strong yourself,” I assure Tenten, “Those guy's technique just caught you off guard. In fact, I just got lucky. If it wasn't for my release, I probably would have lost. Anyways, I'm glad to see you're doing alright.”

“They'll let me out of here in the next couple of days,” Tenten tells me, “Then I'm going to start training harder than ever. But enough about me. You should talk to Sasuke. He's probably taking it harder than anyone.”

I leave Tenten to rest, and head to Sasuke's room. I find him sitting in silence, staring at the headband in his hand.

“It's not over yet,” I tell him, “We'll get another chance.”

Sasuke grips the headband tighter, “But I need to be stronger when that time comes. Hinata, and that boy Naruto. They are people who were failed by the village. Their hatred has grown inside of them until it burst out, becoming their power. I don't know how I can get rid of their hatred, but I'm too weak to do anything as I am now.”

“You're not alone,” I tell Sasuke, “We all want to bring her back too. Together, we can be strong enough.”

“I'm not alone,” Sasuke responds, “But Hinata was. All this time, she's been suffering alone in darkness. And when she found her single ray of light, she followed it. And I'm the one who told her to do it. I thought I understood her, what she was going through. I didn't know anything. At the Valley of the End, she told me everything that had happened. I felt like such an idiot. If I had known sooner, then maybe things would be different.”

Sasuke looks out the window, “I need some time to think.”

I get ready to leave.

“It's never too late, we'll figure something out,” I tell Sasuke as I stand in the doorway. “Once you're up, how about training with me? I could always use someone to train with.”

“Sure thing,” Sasuke responds without looking at me.

I nod and head for the Hokage's office. When I arrive, I find Jiraiya there, along with Neji.

“Kon, I apologize,” Neji says as I enter. “I couldn't be there to help you, even though Hyuuga matters should be my responsibility.”

“Relax, Neji,” the Fifth stops him. “There was nothing you could have done. You'll get your chance. I'll put together a team for tracking down Orochimaru from whatever info Ibiki gets out of our captive. I'll put Yamato in charge, and you'll be on his team. So just get yourself ready until then.”

“Now, Kon,” the Hokage turns to me, “Give me your report on this mission.”

“Unforeseen circumstances led to our failure,” I tell the Hokage. “There were more enemies than we planned for, and they were all Jonin level. I'm honestly surprised we managed as well as we did.”

Even though I'm sure Shikamaru has told the Hokage a lot already, I run down the entire mission from start to finish. When I mention the blonde kid who went by Naruto, Jiraiya clenches his fists.

“So it's true, huh?” Jiraiya looks down, “He really is one of them now.”

“Who was he?” I ask, “That boy, Naruto. He seemed familiar.”

“That boy is Naruto Uzumaki, the son of the Fourth Hokage,” the Fifth answers, “He is the Jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox. He was also a citizen of this village until he disappeared seven years ago. He was sighted leaving with a masked man wearing a black cloak with red clouds. Sighted by none other than Hinata Hyuuga.”

Jiraiya turns in his chair, “The Fourth left it to the village to protect Naruto, but we couldn't. The Third considered it his greatest failure. He never lived it down, and begged me to take his place and serve the village better.”

After a long silence, I speak up, “What do we do from here?”

“We'll see what information we can get from our captive and try to track them down,” the Hokage answers me. “Though we also have another problem. That organization, Akatsuki. They're capturing jinchuuriki for their own ends. We currently have no way to protect any of the others. We need to improve relations with the other nations if we hope to make a difference. Tell me, Kon. Which would you rather do, given the choice?”

“I would protect the other Jinchuuriki from the Akatsuki,” I answer, “They'll come to us. Besides, if I can protect them, I will. I made a promise with the Third.”

“Alright then,” the Hokage responds, spinning his chair back to face me, “I'll make sure to keep that in mind. I'm going to go talk to Sasuke. I have some special business with him anyway.”

The Hokage gets up to leave, while me and Neji do the same. I don't have anything to do for the rest of the day.

“Neji, do you mind telling me about Hinata?” I ask, “Sasuke told me that she was suffering this whole time.”

“I can see what led to this happening,” Neji responds. “I played my part in it. Until recently, I held quite a bit of animosity for the main branch of the Hyuuga Clan. I'm sure my attitude towards Lady Hinata did its share of damage. She had received no better treatment from her father. He considered her weak and had her replaced by her younger sister as the clan heir. Her confidence must have been nonexistent. Perhaps I could have helped her, but for now, I have my own duty to the village. Excuse me.”

Neji leaves, and I decide to go see how Haku is faring.

I arrive at the Yamanaka flower shop to find Haku sitting, being doted on by Ino. He has some bandages on but otherwise looks alright.

“Kon, you're okay,” he smiles as I approach. “That's wonderful. What brings you here?”

“I'm checking on everyone,” I say. “How are you doing?”

“I'm doing alright,” Haku replies. “My wounds will heal in time. I'm just glad I could help all of you. I heard the mission ended in failure, but as long as everyone survived, then I think that's well enough.”

“Thanks for your help,” I tell Haku. “But what made you decide to help us?”

“With the time I've spent here, I've grown to care about this village,” Haku looks down. “That man I fought, Kimimaro. He was like how I used to be, his purpose tied to a single person. It was like seeing a reflection of my old self. But now, I live for more than that. There are so many people who I can help, who rely on me. The more people I am useful to, the greater my place in this world. So, if any of you ever need my help, I will come to your aid. It is my new purpose.”

“That's great, Haku,” I reply. “Are you going to become a Leaf shinobi?”

“I think I will,” Haku answers. “I think it's the way I can help the most people.”

“My dad is probably the one to go to for that,” Ino says. “He's in charge of looking after you, so he should be able to talk to the Hokage about letting you officially become a ninja here.”

After talking a bit longer, I say goodbye to Ino and Haku and head off. It's around lunchtime, and I'm getting hungry. Before I go check on anyone else, I head home to see my uncle and get lunch in the process.

When I arrive, my uncle quickly gets me a seat and some food. He sits and addresses me as I eat.

“You're looking good, Kon!” he says with his usual smile. “How'd the urgent mission go?”

“Well, we failed,” I admit. “Nobody died, though, so that's good. We'll just have to train harder for next time.”

“You know, Kon,” my uncle tells me. “When your mother was younger, I was always worried about her. I had no idea whether she was ever going to come back from one of her missions. I worry the same about you. But what I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, is that you'll always make sure your friends are taken care of. I'm always relieved when you come home safe, but when you do, I know your teammates are too. You're just perfect for this ninja thing. Your mother was the same way.”

I finish eating and get up as my uncle goes back to work.

I swing by Shino's house and see him.

He insists that he's fine, but is busy with something bug related, due to the amount that he lost during the mission.

I leave him to it, and head to the village gate. There, I find Kankuro and Temari, talking with Shikamaru.

“What's up, Kon?” Shikamaru says, turning to me. “You checking in with everybody?”

“Yeah, I have,” I answer, “How are you taking it?”

Shikamaru sighs, “Failure is never easy. But all I can do is pick myself back up and do better next time.”

I turn to Kankuro and Temari.

“Thanks for your help, too,” I say, “How have you two been?”

“Don't mention it, I just hope there are no hard feelings,” Kankuro replies. “We've been recovering. In fact, we're hoping to work closely with the Leaf in the future, to take on the Akatsuki. Our father isn't exactly enthusiastic about the idea, but I'm hoping we can convince him. You think you could put in a word for us, so we can work together in the future?”

“I'll see what I can do,” I reply. “I don't really have any pull, but I'd love to team up again.”

Kankuro extends his hand and I shake it.

“That'll be enough,” he says. “You guys are going to lead your village someday, just as we are ours. You have more influence than you think.”

The two of them say goodbye and leave, leaving me with Shikamaru.

“Can you believe what he said, Kon?” Shikamaru asks. “Me, a leader of the village? Just a while ago I'd have laughed it off, but now I don't know.”

Shikamaru tells me goodbye and heads home. It's getting late, and the sun is about to set.

I decide to go home and spend some time with my uncle. I help him out in the kitchen as the day winds down. Eventually, we close the shop, eat some dinner and go to bed.

...

A few days later, we're gathered with Kiba and Sasuke, recently released from the hospital. We're waiting for Kakashi Sensei, and are to go on a mission.

“Sucks I couldn't be there, guys," Kiba says. “Don't know exactly how much I would've helped, but it's terrible not having done anything.”

Sasuke is looking a bit better than in the hospital, but still looks like he's got a lot on his mind.

I talk with Kiba at length about what the two of us had been doing. Kiba's been doing training with his family and has a couple of new moves he's really excited about. He also listens intently to my story about the mission.

“Whoa, now I really wish I had been there,” Kiba says, before looking at Sasuke. “So what's up? Are you still down?”

“It's not just that,” Sasuke replies. “My brother made a deal with the Hokage behind my back. He said that for him to take up the title of Hokage, the Fifth has to agree to train me.”

Kiba's jaw drops, “You're moping about that? You can't be serious!”

Before Kiba can continue, Kakashi sensei arrives.

“Hello, boys,” he greets us, “Today, we're going to see a movie.”

...

I watch as the battle comes to its climax. The princess gives a rousing speech, and with the help of her retainers, taps into her rainbow chakra to defeat the evil wizard Mao.

Until the sequel, at least.

Me and my teammates are currently watching a movie. Despite having tickets, we had to sneak in on the ceiling, as they wouldn't allow Akamaru in the theater.

“You know, Fujikaze's great and all,” I hear from Kiba, who's been making comments all movie. “But it's Hidero that really ties the cast together. I swear, he gets no respect.”

“Who cares?” Sasuke asks, finally fed up. “Why are we even here? I thought we were going to be on a mission.”

“Sensei paid for the tickets, so I'm not complaining,” I respond. “Besides, maybe our mission has something to do with the movie?”

“Hey, you ninja up there!” I hear from below, “What do you think you're doing? I told you no pets in the theater!”

To avoid making a scene, our team leaves quietly. We wait for Kakashi Sensei for quite a while outside the theater, but he didn't show.

Suddenly, the three of us hear the sound of horses. From over the nearby fence jumps a horse ridden by none other than the lead actress of the movie we just watched.

She rides off, pursued by armored men atop their own horses.

Kiba looks on in confusion, “Uh, should we do something?”

“Sasuke and I will take care of the guys. Kiba, you stay on the actress,” I direct. “See if you can get an autograph while you're at it.”

With that, Kiba takes off after Fujikaze while me and Sasuke stop the armored men. They clearly aren't trained to fight, and we're able to stop every single one of them rather easily.

As we're tying them up, Kakashi Sensei arrives on the scene.

“What are you guys doing?” he asks.

“Killing time,” I respond, “We got bored waiting for you, Sensei. I seriously need to get you a watch.”

Kakashi disappears from his spot and reappears on the other side of the men, who now have their ropes cut. Kakashi helps one man in glasses up and addresses him.

“I'm really sorry about this,” Sensei says before turning to us. “This is our client. We're supposed to be escorting the actress Yukie Fujikaze, and this is her manager Sandayu.”

“Sounds like fun,” I say. “We've even already proved we can handle it. So is this going to be like the Land of Waves mission, Sensei?”

“We can only hope not,” Kakashi replies, “Now if we can just find Yukie.”

Soon enough, Akamaru shows up. He leads us all to a bar where the actress is currently being belligerent.

“This lady has an attitude problem,” Kiba tells me, “She won't even sign any autographs.”

“I'm not going to the Land of Snow,” Fujikaze mumbles, “You can find another actress.”

“So what are we gonna do?” Kiba asks, “Do we still get paid if she doesn't go?”

An idea comes to me. I summon Sarujizo.

“Sarujizo, take that woman's form,” I direct.

He does so, and I turn to Sandayu, “Check it out, your new lead actress!”

As Sarujizo picks his nose while in the shape of Fujikaze, Kiba starts laughing uncontrollably.

“Is this an insult?” Sandayu exclaims, “It can only be Yukie! Certainly not a monkey!”

While everyone else is in hysterics, Kakashi has used genjutsu to render Fujikaze unconscious. He picks her up and heads off.

“I guess that works,” Kiba sighs, still recovering from his fit of laughter.

…

The next day, we're all on a ship heading North. They are shooting some scenes on the ship, and our team is just hanging back.

“They're killing off Shishimaru?” Kiba groans, “Great, now I'm not even gonna watch the movie when it comes out”

Kakashi is just reading his book while Sasuke stares out at the ocean.

I approach Kakashi.

“Sensei, it feels like we've barely interacted since the Chunin exams,” I say. “You know one thousand jutsu, right? How about teaching me one?”

Kakashi closes his book.

“Fair enough,” he responds, “What do you want to learn? I could teach you a lightning jutsu fairly quickly.”

“Let's do that,” I reply, “I already know a wind technique, so I could do with one from the other half of my release.”

Kakashi spends the rest of the day teaching me Lightning Release: Thunderbolt. It's a pretty standard lightning attack, but it has a great range that can be extended by channeling lightning through adjacent targets. It could definitely come in handy against crowds while keeping even more distance than Vacuum Wave.

The next day, everyone is awoken to discover that the ship's path has been blocked by a giant glacier. The director, however, decides that it's the perfect spot to shoot, and we all disembark.

During the shooting, an unexpected explosion happens. A ninja wearing strange armor reveals himself.

“Well if it isn't princess Koyuki,” the ninja says.

“Princess Koyuki?” Kakashi says in disbelief as he turns back to Fujikaze.

Meanwhile, I direct everyone to return to the ship immediately.

As they do, two more ninja emerge from the snow. The first one directs them.

“You two get the princess. I'll handle Kakashi,” he says before rushing down to meet Sensei.

The other two, a woman with pink hair and a large black-haired man, begin to close in on me.

“Kiba, guard Fujikaze!” I direct, “Sasuke, take care of the big guy!"

My teammates follow my instructions as I face off with the woman. As I approach, she prepares some hand signs, “Ice Prison!”

Pillars of ice begin to rise from the ground, approaching me.

I use my speed to skirt around the pillars of ice and approach the woman unscathed. As I close in, I take a swing at her and strike her head-on. What's strange, however, is that my release seemed to have no effect. Even though I used it, it's as if she was only hit by a regular punch. I could have sworn I saw a purple glow, too.

The woman extends wings from her back and takes flight. She fires another jutsu in my direction, “Swallow Blizzard!”

A swarm of birds made from ice speed towards me.

I get ready to shoot them down with my new jutsu, “Lightning Release: Thunderbolt!”

The electricity travels between the projectiles, causing them to fall apart as it passes through.

The electricity eventually reaches the woman, but that purple glow cuts it off.

Before I can continue, what looks to be a giant horned whale smashes into the glacier, causing it to shake violently.

“Everyone get to the ship!” I hear Kakashi Sensei shout.

I do so as two more whales smash into the glacier again. Kiba and Sasuke have gotten everyone on the ship, and Kakashi Sensei joins us before long.

After making sure that the enemy has indeed been left behind, we all confront Fujikaze in the dining hall.

I turn to Kakashi Sensei.

“So who were those guys?” I ask, “And what was up with that armor? It was like it ate up my chakra.”

“It's chakra armor,” our teacher answers. “The ninja here in the Land of Snow have developed it to nullify ninjutsu and genjutsu. Apparently, it runs on radiation that only reaches through the atmosphere at this latitude. Also, their ice techniques are not true Ice Release, like Haku has. It's just a special Water Release that they've developed to use the surrounding ice and snow. With all that in mind, you can see why they have little influence abroad. Not to mention any minor village has very few skilled ninja compared to one of the five great nations. They're really nothing a group like ours has to worry about.”

Despite Sandayu's pleading, Fujikaze, or rather Princess Koyuki, still refuses to go on.

“What's your problem anyway?" I ask.

Koyuki refuses to acknowledge my question, and Sandayu explains.

He goes on about the events here in the Land of Snow ten years ago that led to Koyuki's exile. About Doto's coup in which he killed his younger brother and took over the country with the help of hired Snow ninja. About how he was once Koyuki's aide as a child, and that there are still supporters of Koyuki that wish to see Doto overthrown.

Eventually, the director is the one who convinces her to go on, with the promise of making an even greater movie.

Later, after we've set out, the crew is crossing a pass over the mountains when they notice the princess missing yet again.

“Kiba, go find her,” I direct.

“Got it,” Kiba replies. He and Akamaru take off, sniffing the princess out.

Kiba can find her alone, so the rest of us stick around the crew. After a while, something strange happens. The ice beneath us starts to melt, revealing train tracks.

Sandayu kneels, “There's chakra running through these rails, melting the ice!” he calls, “Everyone hurry and get out of here before they find you!”

After his warning, Sandayu rushes up the mountainside.

I quickly get the crew to safety. I can see from my vantage point that Sandayu is preparing to crest the mountain with several warriors in tow.

Sasuke and Kakashi Sensei have taken to setting up some traps along the railway.

A train eventually emerges from the tunnel, right on the heels of Koyuki, carried by Kiba and Akamaru.

From the end of the train emerges one ninja I've seen before, and a large man I have not. He addresses Koyuki through a speaker on the train.

“It's been a long time princess,” he says.

Sandayu looks like he's getting ready to charge the train.

I hurry and rush over to Sandayu.

“Stop. Don't go down there,” I warn. “You don't know what he's got in that train. Let us take care of it.”

Sandayu protests, but at my insistence, he holds his men back.

After the man, presumably Doto, finishes addressing Koyuki, an explosion goes off, causing an avalanche to hit the train. The train drives forward over a bridge only for it to explode under them. The cars separate, however, and the front car manages to escape falling down the mountain.

Sandayu and his men join the princess.

“Please, princess!” he pleads, “Lead us! Under you, we can retake this nation! Let's march on the palace right now!”

“That's a bad idea,” I interrupt. “You don't have the forces necessary to take Doto on.”

“There's too many for a conventional attack, true,” Kakashi adds. “Perhaps if we took out Doto himself, we might not need one, however.”

Before Koyuki can get a word in, either way, a hand grasps her and pulls her over the side of the mountain. It's that large ninja from before on a blimp.

“Princess Koyuki!” Sandayu calls.

From the blimp, shoots several kunai with orbs tied on the ends. When they hit the ground, spikes of ice shoot from the ground, forcing everyone to dodge.

Everyone escapes the attacks unscathed, but the blimp and the princess are gone.

“The Rainbow Glacier!” Sandayu says, “Now that he has the Hex Crystal, he's surely headed there!”

Sandayu tells us the way to the Rainbow Glacier, and our team takes off running.

As we head through the forest, the ninja from before show up to block our path.

“I'll take Nadare again,” Kakashi insists, “You guys can take care of the others.”

“Let's take these guys out quick,” I tell the others.

Kiba smirks, “We need Taijutsu, right? Just line 'em up then. Me and Akamaru will take 'em right out.”

The big one comes speeding toward us on his snowboard, while the woman flies in, shooting more ice attacks. Sasuke confronts the woman, trying to get her in position for Kiba, leaving the man to me.

I pull out my kyoketsu shoge. With the speed the man is moving at, he doesn't have a chance to dodge.

He's stopped cold by the cord on his neck and falls backward. He gets up and tries to fight, but I've got him all tangled up. He manages to fight himself free, but by then he's left himself open.

“Man-Beast Taijutsu! Fang Over Fang!” Kiba and Akamaru hit the man's armor head-on, and shatter it to pieces. The two of them don't lose any momentum and keep going to do the same to the woman, who Sasuke has tangled in wire.

The two ninja, beaten and deprived of their armor, don't bother getting back up.

The three of us continue and reach the Rainbow Glacier. I see Doto and Koyuki at some kind of altar. Doto looks mad about something.

“So, Kon,” Sasuke says, “How are we doing this?”

“Kiba, get the princess clear, Sasuke and I will take Doto,” I direct.

I throw out a smoke bomb to aid Kiba as he grabs Koyuki. Kiba gets clear, and the smoke lifts leaving me and Sasuke face to face with Doto. He takes off his coat, revealing that he too is wearing chakra armor.

“This treasure is worthless!” Doto yells, “I guess I'm going to have to take out my frustration on you! Black Dragon Blizzard!”

Doto uses a jutsu and a black dragon formed from ice shoots towards me and Sasuke.

“Let's combine wind and fire jutsu, Sasuke!” I call.

Sasuke prepares his fireball jutsu while I inhale to get ready for my wind jutsu.

“Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu!”  
“Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!”

The wind and fire combine to make a blazing inferno, completely burning the dragon away.

Doto is dumbstruck, and tries an even stronger move, “Twin Dragon Blizzard!”

Two ice dragons come out this time, but they fare no better. Me and Sasuke's combined jutsu burns them away before they even have a chance to reach us.

In the lull after that attack, Sasuke charges forward with a Chidori. The move is stopped by the chakra armor, but I can see it cracking under the strain. Another strong move could break it. Doto bats Sasuke away, and he lands beside me. He gets up on a knee.

“You see, Kon?” he pants. “That armor doesn't protect them completely. Show me what you got! I know you've got a stronger move than me, let me see it!”

Doto slowly approaches.

I perform the hand signs, then I gather chakra. As I do so, the sun reflects off of the giant panels surrounding the glacier. A strange chakra of seven different colors seems to gather in my hand.

I extend my finger and fire the attack.

“Impact Release: Heavenly Lance!”

The beam shoots from my fingertip and pierces straight through the chakra barrier of Doto's armor. He's left with a hole straight through his chest, and the beam keeps going. it hits the panel behind him, and the ice covering it shatters. In that instant, the ice everywhere begins to melt, revealing grass and flowers below.

A recording of a child Koyuki and her father begins to play on a giant projector. It seems like this machine's purpose was to bring spring to this country.

Watching the recording, Koyuki begins to both laugh and cry.

The rest of our team looks on in satisfaction, our mission assuredly complete.


	9. Exam and Inauguration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our hero proctors the Chunin exams, but an unexpected event occurs.

In the absence of Doto, Princess Koyuki had no reservations about taking up the position of the Land of Snow's Daimyo, with the support of Sandayu.

The heat generator at the Rainbow Glacier had been incomplete, so the snow will come back soon, but Koyuki has plans to finish its development.

Her attitude is much better now, Koyuki saw us all off on a high note, providing autographs for us. According to her, she intends to both remain an actress and rule as the Land of Snow's Daimyo.

…

Our team returns home, and over the next few months, continues on a regular schedule of relatively uneventful missions.

During that time, me and the team do a lot of training together.

Sasuke learned how to use more chakra natures in order to make better use of his Sharingan. He now has the potential to learn Earth and Water jutsu in addition to Fire and Lightning.

After hounding Kakashi about it, Kiba gets to sign a contract with the ninja dogs. He develops several pack hunting strategies.

Me and Kakashi focus on my release. I know the basics of shape manipulation, but Sensei helps me learn to mold my chakra.

“The way I see it, Kon,” Kakashi Sensei tells me. “From this point, you can go two ways with shape manipulation. Offensive, or Defensive. You can either shape it into various forms to attack in a variety of ways or shape it in a way that protects from attacks. For now, we should only focus on one and try to get it down.”

I've decided to focus my training on defense. I learn how to mold my Impact chakra into a form that acts as a barrier, prohibiting passage through it. It's not made of material, so the duration is unfortunately short unless I keep pouring a ton of chakra into it, but it prevents most attacks from passing through. I also learn how to cloak my body in Impact chakra, knocking back anyone that tries to hit me. This move also takes a lot of chakra and has a low duration, but it will likely improve with practice.

I also spend time with Tenten during these months. She teaches me basic sealing as she promised, and now my access to explosives is more limited by my budget than anything else.

Tenten, Ino, and Sakura have taken up basic medical ninjutsu training under Tsunade, who apparently leaves most of Itachi's treatment up to Shizune at this point.

One day, we're called into the Fifth's office along with Tenten and Shikamaru.

“I'm a bit short-handed right now, and I need to know if you three are available to volunteer,” the Hokage says.

“Volunteer for what, sir?” I ask.

“The next Chunin exams are coming up soon,” Jiraiya explains, “In order to show the world we've moved past the events of last year, this year we're doing a joint exam between the Leaf and Sand. However, most of my Jonin are away on other missions. I'd like you three to act as proctors for the exams. You'd be working alongside Kankuro and Temari again.”

“Fine,” Shikamaru groans. “It's a pain, but the fact that you asked us means there probably isn't anyone else, so I'll do it.”

“I don't mind helping out either,” Tenten adds.

“I'll do it,” I say, “Sounds like it could be interesting.”

“Excellent,” Jiraiya replies, “We only have a few others available to proctor, so your help is very much appreciated. Now, I've told most of the other Chunin and Jonin, but this Chunin exam will pretty much be the last thing I do as Hokage. After this, we'll inaugurate Itachi, and I'll go off to train Sasuke, gathering any info about Akatsuki that I can along the way. So I'm hoping everything goes smoothly. Our relationship with the Sand also depends on this event.”

The three of us leave the office.

“I've got an idea for the written exam in my head already,” Shikamaru tells us, “You mind leaving that to me?”

“Sure, I'll proctor the third exams,” I say.

“So you'll be reffing the fights, then?” Tenten asks, “I guess that leaves the second exam for me.”

We go our separate ways for now, as Kankuro and Temari will arrive tomorrow to clarify the exact schedule. It's late afternoon, but I could still go find someone. Now that I think about it, most of the genin teams can't enter three members.

I seek out my team and find them relaxing after a long day of training.

“Oh, hey Kon,” Kiba greets me as I approach, “What's up?”

I tell them about the upcoming Chunin exams, and express concern over their lack of a third teammate.

“Right, since you're a Chunin you can't exactly join us,” Kiba thinks to himself. “Shino needs a team, right? He'd probably join us. What do you think?”

“Shino would definitely be a good addition to the team,” Sasuke admits, “But do you think he'll go for it? He doesn't have any obligation to join us.”

“You could always go ask him, you know,” I suggest, “Anyway, that's enough from me, I am proctoring now.”

I leave my teammates to it as I head home. I get plenty of rest so I can meet up with Kankuro and Temari the next day.

I'm able to catch the siblings as they enter the gate, Tenten and Shikamaru are also there.

“Hey, good to see you guys again,” Kankuro greets, “I'm still a bit shocked we were able to convince our father to do this at all. So, you guys have your segment planned out?”

Shikamaru explains that he has the first test all setup, and mentions that me and Tenten are slotted to help proctor the other two exams.

“I'll help with the first exam, then,” Temari says, “Tenten, you'll need Kankuro's help for the second. I believe there's actually already a Leaf Jonin on the way to the Sand that'll be there to help with the third.”

“That means you two and I have to get back to the Sand before the day's out if we want to make it in time,” Kankuro says, pointing to you and Tenten. “So, let's relax for a few hours!”

Our group finds a place to sit so Kankuro and Temari can rest.

Taking the opportunity to catch up, I start up a conversation.

“So, how have you guys been?” I ask.

“Well, they pretty much forced us into Jonin,” Kankuro says, “Our manpower was down so much they had to give us emergency promotions to handle the workload. I'm not exactly proud of getting handed Jonin, but I guess I have to live with it. If the village needs me to take up more responsibilities, I will.”

“Our village's reputation has been in the gutter,” Temari adds, “Our association with the Leaf is just about the only positive relation we have at this point. Our father's been scrambling to keep the village's credibility up. But enough about that, how have you guys been?”

We all share stories of the past several months. Kankuro and Temari listen intently to them, especially my mission in the Land of Snow. Temari is visibly jealous.

After a while, Shikamaru and Temari get up.

“Well, we've got to get the written portion ready for tomorrow,” Shikamaru says, “You guys should probably head off too.”

The three of us that remain get up and head for the village gate.

“Do we need to rush, or can we take a normal pace?” Tenten asks as we're leaving.

“If we get there sooner, it gives us more time to get ready,” Kankuro replies. “But if you want to take it easy, that's fine. We could just work quicker when we do arrive. What do you want to do, Kon?”

I decide to get the journey done as fast as possible to give myself the most time.

Three days later, we all arrive in the Land of Wind. It's a vast desert as far as the eye can see.

“Yeah, it's not much to look at,” Kankuro says, shrugging, “But it's home. What are you gonna do?”

As we approach the building designated for the proctors, I see someone come out. It's Anko.

“Hey, you guys the ones helping out with the exams?” she asks.

“That's right,” I answer, “Are you going to be helping out with the third stage?”

“Something like that,” Anko answers as she munches on some dango, “I'm really just here to supervise. The Hokage thinks you guys can take care of most of this stuff.”

“Tenten, let's get the desert ready for the second exam,” Kankuro says, looking up to see a messenger hawk in the sky. “The participants are already on their way here. Kon, you and Anko will be looking out for the participants. Only the first thirty get in. Stop the rest.”

With that said, Kankuro and Tenten leave. After a bit of rest, me and Anko station at the gate and wait for the participants.

I try to get a conversation going to break the silence.

“So, Anko Sensei,” I start, “How have you been since the last exams?”

She scoffs, “Well I'm not about to tell you about my private life, but I've been working some of the leads on Orochimaru. That guy you brought in, we got a bit of info from him, but his curse seal had some kind of fail-safe. Once he started talking about where we could find Orochimaru's hideout, the seal took over and killed him. We're not completely in the dark, but man did it set us back. That's why Lord Jiraiya is so anxious to get out of office. He wants to track down Orochimaru himself.”

After waiting a bit longer, me and Anko see some figures approaching.

“There's no way,” Anko says, squinting, “No one could have gotten here this fast.”

The three figures approach the gate. It's a team from the Village Hidden in the Waterfall. The two guys are relatively unassuming with brown hair, but the girl in front is tanned with mint green hair and orange eyes. Her voice proves to be as loud as her appearance.

“Did we win?” she asks.

“You did,” I tell the girl, “How did you get here so fast, though?”

The girl smiles, “If there are new places to see and people to meet, I'll be faster than anyone!”

“Head over to that building and take a rest,” Anko directs, “The second test should start tomorrow morning, so take it easy.”

The three of them head over to the building while me and Anko turn back towards the gate.

“I don't get it,” she says, “They shouldn't have been able to get here for hours at least. They must have some kind of jutsu for this.”

As the day drags on, eventually more teams arrive. Second, to reach us is Lee's team. They apparently ran all the way here with no breaks, and they still look like they can go on. My teammates and Shino arrive soon after, followed by several other teams I don't recognize. The last three to make it in time are Ino's team, likely courtesy of Choji. Ino is irritated, but Haku looks like he's having a good time regardless.

I direct the remaining participants inside. Once the others arrive, I inform them that they have failed the exam and have to leave.

Me and Anko go inside the proctor's building to find Kankuro and Tenten inside. They're resting after preparing the desert for the second exam.

Anko immediately grabs some food and starts eating. I do the same.

“So, kid,” Anko says between bites. “You got any special plans for the third exam, or are we keeping it simple?”

“I was thinking about not doing single elimination, but instead doing team battles, where we switch up the teams between fights,” I suggest. “We could see how they work with ninja they aren't used to working with.”

“I could see that,” Anko responds, “We'll see what we can do.”

While we're eating, I hear a ruckus from outside. Me and the other proctors rush out to find the girl from before dancing on top of a giant scorpion. Said scorpion seems to have been attacking Choji, who came outside for some reason. Several other genin have come outside to see what's going on.

The girl sees me and the other proctors and rushes over to us.

“Hey, did you see that?” she asks, “Pretty cool, huh? So how about it, you want to be my friend now, huh?”

“Did you save Choji?” I ask as she nods in response. “Thanks for that. But I'm the exam proctor. I can't be your friend. Maybe after the exam. For now, could you all please make my life easier and settle down for the rest of the night?”

“Sure thing!” the girl shouts as she turns around. Her teammates start to drag her inside as she is still shouting. “One down! I'm gonna get a hundred friends, just you wait!”

All the other participants go back inside as well.

The next morning, the second phase of the exam starts, and the teams scatter across the desert trying to get each other's scrolls, just like in the last Chunin exams. Me and Anko have hammered out the third exam, so there isn't much for us to do over the next three days.

On the second day, however, Temari comes to me with news.

“We've discovered something,” She tells me. “That team from the Waterfall, two of their members are actually Jonin. That isn't the most surprising thing, however. We also discovered that the girl, Fuu, is a Jinchuuriki. We have to go confront them. Tenten and Kankuro are already on their way.”

“I'll come with you,” I say. “I promised to protect them.”

“We'll leave Anko in charge here, then,” Temari responds.

The two of us take off across the desert. We eventually run into Tenten, heading back to base. She's carrying both of the Waterfall Jonin.

“These two are in dire need of medical care,” Tenten tells us. “I've got them stabilized, but they aren't going to last out here in this desert.”

“Wait, what happened?” Temari asks, “Where's Fuu?”

“Their team was attacked and Fuu was taken,” Tenten answers. “It was Akatsuki. Shino had some bugs on Fuu, so he, Kiba, and Sasuke are in pursuit. Kankuro is tailing them as well.”

A bug flies out from Tenten's clasped hand.

“Follow this bug, you should find them,” With that, Tenten keeps taking the Waterfall ninja back.

We follow the bug and eventually reach a small grove on the edge of the desert. The bug keeps flying, but me and Temari stop. In front of us is a battle. Kiba, Sasuke, and Kankuro are currently fighting a member of Akatsuki. And from the looks of it, it's a losing battle.

Me and Temari have just arrived at the scene of a battle. It looks like Sasuke and Kiba are both pretty worn down already, but they don't seem to have any major injuries. Kankuro is unharmed, but his two puppets look like they've taken quite a beating already.

Their enemy, the masked man with stitched arms, looks almost unharmed himself.

“Kon, Temari, be careful!” Kankuro calls out. “This guy can harden his skin to nullify attacks and can separate his limbs to act independently from his body. He also seems to have a range of Earth jutsu.”

The masked man looks over at us. “More of them? Maybe it's about time I evened the numbers out, then.”

The man removes his cloak, revealing that the stitching goes all over his body. He has four masks on his back. He leans forward and starts to exert a great effort. His skin begins to ripple, and from his back emerge four large black figures, wearing the masks from his back.

“There we are,” the man says once the figures finish forming. “Now the rest of you will be easily dealt with as I rip that heart from you, Uchiha! Unfortunately for your friends, I'm far too old not to know that you don't fight an Uchiha halfheartedly!”

The man closes in on Sasuke as two of the four black figures approach Kiba and Kankuro and the other two head for me and Temari.

I immediately bite my thumb and perform the hand signs, “Summoning Jutsu!”

Sarujizo appears in a puff of smoke.

“Sarujizo!” I direct, “Use your Fire release alongside Temari's Wind release! I'll help the others!”

I run for Sasuke first, and I'm able to grab him as he's knocked back from one of the masked man's punches. Next, I come up to Kiba and Kankuro. Before I can move them, I hear the masked man perform a jutsu.

“Fire Release: Searing Migraine!”

One of the masked creatures in front of me opens its mouth and releases a huge blast of fire in my direction.

I jump away from the blast as fast as I can. Me, Sasuke, Kiba, and Akamaru get away with only minor injuries, but Kankuro is forced to shield himself with one of his puppets as he dodges. He's okay, but the puppet is charred beyond usage.

I prepare a jutsu to try and strike one of the creature's masks. The one that just shot the fire is wide open, so I take the opportunity while I can.

“Impact Release: Heavenly Lance!”

I fire the beam, and it hits the mask straight on. The figure collapses into a black puddle.

Meanwhile, however, Kankuro, Kiba, and Akamaru have been barely dodging wind attacks from the other masked figure.

It seems this opponent has ways to use all five elements, with his separate masks.

Sasuke has been grabbed from below by the masked man's tendril arm sticking from the ground. He's been pulled back into melee range and is struggling to keep from taking a hit straight on.

Over where I started, the ground is wet. One of the masked creatures seems to have made several water attacks, and the other is firing lightning. Temari is using her fan to fly, avoiding standing on the water and getting shocked. Sarujizo must have been unlucky enough to have taken such an attack, as he seems to have been unsummoned. Temari can't seem to get a chance to attack, but she's still unharmed, so she seems to be dodging alright.

I decide that Sasuke needs help the most, and close in on his fight.

As I approach, the masked man turns to me. He currently holds Sasuke up by the neck.

“So you went and destroyed one of my hearts, eh?” the man asks. “I guess I'll have to replace it with one of your friends. I was planning on taking the one from this Uchiha, and I think he'd be a perfect fit.”

Before I can respond, the man throws Sasuke at me, and we're both knocked back. By the time I get back up, the man is charging at us.

“Sasuke, I'll give you an opening!” I call.

As Sasuke jumps back and starts preparing a chidori, I go up to meet the masked man.

“Impact Release: Shattershot!” I fire my jutsu.

The man is knocked back but rights himself with the tendrils in his body. It seems that with those, he doesn't have to worry about being stunned by my attacks. That limits my options a bit.

He comes at us again. I pull out my sword and focus my Impact chakra into it. As the masked man approaches I try to hit him. He keeps dodging most of my swings, but I eventually hit his arm. He turns it black, hardening it, but that causes him to recoil at the blow.

“What is this?” the man wonders. “You keep using this strange release. A kekkei genkai? Maybe I should take your heart for myself.”

The man detaches his arms and has them assault me from both sides.

I prepare a substitution to keep his arms occupied.

Once they grab me, I'm replaced in a puff of smoke by a log covered in explosive tags. The explosion goes off, forcing the man's arms to harden to resist the attack.

While he's occupied, Sasuke has finished preparing. He runs at the man with his chidori and manages to catch him straight through his chest.

I look around. Temari looks like she's getting tired, but she's still managing to keep the water and lightning masks busy.

Kiba and Akamaru are carrying Kankuro around, as he's taken too many hits from the wind mask.

Sasuke drops the masked man and comes over to me.

“Are these things still running around on their own?” he pants, “What should we do?”

Before I can answer, the wind mask dives into the masked man's body. He convulses several times before he gets up, tendrils sticking out of his mouth and neck.

“Two of my hearts?” he says. “That hasn't happened in a long time. I guess I will have to take both of yours.”

I see the water and lightning mask creatures merge into one giant black mass. They start firing off combined attacks at Temari.

Kiba and Akamaru have set Kankuro aside, and have joined me and Sasuke.

“You've got a plan for this, right?” he asks.

“Kiba, go help Temari!” I call, “Sasuke, let's do a combination jutsu!”

Kiba and Akamaru head off, while me and Sasuke perform our jutsu. The masked man rushes the two of us while we do so.

“Fire Release: Fireball!”  
“Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!”

Me and Sasuke's combined jutsu hits home, but before it does, some of the man's tendrils grab Sasuke by his leg. He drags Sasuke into the path of the jutsu with him.

I stop my jutsu and prepare another one. The man is tossing Sasuke around with his tendrils, but I have an opening to hit his heart.

“Impact Release: Heavenly Lance!”

The beam strikes the man right through his heart. He collapses again. Before I can prepare to react to another mask, a burst of lightning heads for Sasuke, who is now unconscious. I am forced to get him out of its path. In that time, the water mask has returned to the masked man's body and he has gotten up again.

“Three? You're trying my patience with that beam attack,” the man states. “I won't be taking my eyes off you anymore. You won't get another chance.”

I look over to see that Temari is down. She seems to have been hit by one of the combined attacks. Kiba and Akamaru have moved her away, but they aren't looking too hot themselves.

I'm feeling the strain on my chakra as well, but I can fight on.

The man closes in on me.

I unload all the explosives I can onto the masked man. He resists my barrage with a combination of well-timed Water jutsus, and hardens any skin that I do manage to hit. After a while, it becomes clear that the explosives will not work, but in this time, he's surrounded himself with water.

I take advantage of this fact. “Lightning Release: Thunderbolt!”

The move is amplified by the surrounding water and shocks the man with even greater power than otherwise.

The man collapses again, and I get ready to take out the last heart when I notice that his tendrils have been extended. As soon as the last mask flies to his body, they tighten. They've coiled around the necks of Sasuke and Kiba, who by this point had also fallen.

“You lot may have taken four of my hearts, but I'm a shrewd businessman,” the man addresses you. “I can always go get more somewhere else. So, I'm willing to make you a deal. I can let you all go, and we'll go our separate ways, or you can try to kill me before I kill these two friends of yours. That's if you can at all, of course. There's no guarantee. But if we stop right now, you will get to keep all your friends alive.”

His tendrils tighten their grip around my friend's necks, “So, what's it gonna be?”

I could try and take him out right now, but I'm low on chakra. I might only get one shot. There's also no telling if he could kill the others before I can kill him.

I build up chakra for my attack.

“Well?” the man asks, “I'm waiting.”

I fire my jutsu as fast as I can.

“Impact Release: Heavenly Lance!”

My beam flies towards the man, but before it hits, he moves Kiba into its path. The beam pierces through Kiba and hits the masked man, but doesn't kill him.

“You were really gonna do it, huh kid?” the man laughs as he tosses Kiba aside, “You've got guts. I like it.”

The man throws Sasuke at me and forces me to catch him before talking again. “I'm needed urgently elsewhere. If you want to follow me, go ahead. You'll be marching to your death. If I were you, I'd worry more about your buddies here.”

The man takes off running. I could follow, but I'm already pretty tired. It might take a while to catch him.

I consider sniping him from here, but I may not hit him. Even if I did, if I passed out here, there would be no one to help my teammates.

I check on them. Everyone except Kiba is unconscious, but they don't seem to have any lasting damage. Kiba has a hole through his torso. Luckily it didn't hit his heart or lungs, but he's bleeding out something fierce. I apply basic treatment immediately to stop the bleeding as best I can. He still needs real treatment, so he has to get help.

I perform the Summoning Jutsu. In a puff of smoke appears Sarutaro, slightly bigger than the last time I saw him. I direct him to go get help, and he takes off across the desert.

I still consider chasing the masked man, but I'm at my limit. I wouldn't make it far.

I do what I can to treat the others until help arrives. It eventually does, and the others are taken by medical ninjas to get treated.

Tenten is here as well.

“We should be able to keep Kiba alive, we got here in time,” she says. “But everybody else needs to rest. That includes you, Kon.”

“Someone needs to go after that guy!” I insist. “And Shino is still out there alone!”

“We're going to have teams sent out to search,” Tenten replies. “And I believe in Shino. He's not going to let himself be killed like this. Anyway, you need to rest, then you can go search too. You're useless if you pass out. I'm going to go start, you can catch up to me, okay?”

“I'm going,” I insist.

“Fine then,” Tenten responds. “I'll look after you once you pass out.”

The two of us take off in the direction the masked man went, but it's only a few hours before I indeed do pass out.

When I wake up, the two of us continue our search. We have found ourselves in the Land of Rivers, the Akatsuki may have some kind of base here.

On the third day of our search, the two of us are approached by a figure. It's Shino. He looks exhausted but unharmed. He's carrying something on his back, but it's covered in his beetles.

“Shino, you okay!” I exclaim. “What happened?”

Shino is panting hard. “I've been feeding my beetles with my chakra so they'd preserve the tailed beast's for her.”

“What are you talking about, Shino?” Tenten asks.

“I followed the Akatsuki member that took Fuu and had my bugs drain her chakra as we went,” Shino explains. “I heard them talking about the Jinchuuriki dying if their tailed beast is extracted, and I just decided to try this on a hunch. I certainly didn't think I had what it took to face an Akatsuki member alone, so I stayed in hiding. They took her to a cave where they performed the extraction over the past couple of days. When they left, I had my beetles try and give her back the chakra that they took. I think we can keep her alive if we get her treatment soon.”

“Good work Shino,” I tell him. “So they still got the tailed beast?”

“I'm afraid so,” Shino replies. “But perhaps we can have the cave staked out. It may prove valuable.”

“We'll have it done,” Tenten tells him. “For now, let's head back. We need to see what we can do for Fuu.”

The three of us return to the Sand and give Fuu over to the medical ninja. Apparently the chakra Shino took is what allowed her to survive.

When she wakes up, I ask what happened. Apparently, the two Akatsuki attacked when her team was weakened from the exam.

“I guess he really was my friend after all,” Fuu says, uncharacteristically down. “He gave those bugs his chakra so I could live. I guess I did get lucky, huh Chomei?”

In light of the events, the third round of the exam is canceled. All nine of the ninja that passed the second round were allowed to receive promotions.

After returning to the village, our team immediately heads for the Hokage's office to give a report. Except for Kiba, who was urged to go home and rest.

Me, Sasuke, Tenten, and Shino all give our perspectives on the events, as the Fifth listens intently.

“So you kept her alive with some of the tailed beast's chakra, eh?” Jiraiya muses. “This could be useful as leverage with the other Jinchuuriki themselves. They might be more willing to cooperate if we can guarantee their safety. Good work, Shino.”

Sasuke begins to speak. “About our team becoming Chunin...”

“You three won't be promoted,” the Hokage interrupts. “Sorry, but those are the rules. You'll just have to wait and try again at the next opportunity. Which for you may be quite a while, but you'll manage. Your brother's inauguration is tomorrow. We'll be leaving on the day afterward, so make sure you're ready.”

“So soon?” Tenten asks. “Don't you have to do something first?”

“We've spent the past few years warming the Daimyo up to the idea,” the Fifth explains. “There's nothing stopping us now, so the sooner, the better.”

The fifth dismisses Shino, Sasuke, and Tenten. He turns to ms.

“Kon,” he says, face serious. “After this, and keeping your prior performance in mind, you might be pushed pretty heavily for Jonin. I don't know what Itachi may decide, but I won't be supporting you for promotion at this time.”

“I understand,” I reply. “I don't think I'm quite ready to be a Jonin, myself.”

“You'll get there,” the Hokage says, leaning back in his chair. “Get a couple more years under your belt, and I'm sure you'll make a great Jonin. I just want you to remember that on the battlefield, everyone can make a difference. You can't do everything alone, and if you have allies who can help you, you should take advantage of that. That's something I'll have to drill into Sasuke as well.”

Jiraiya stands up from his chair and stretches his arms. “Anyway, everyone has tomorrow off, so relax. Enjoy yourself. I know I will, for the first time in a long while.”

The fifth laughs as I'm dismissed. I leave the Hokage's office and head out. It's still only midday, and I have no obligations today.

I decide to go see how Kiba's doing. I still feel bad about what happened, after all.

As I approach his house, I see Kiba and Akamaru lounging in the sun.

“Yo, Kon.” Kiba greets you. “Guess who's got a date tomorrow after the inauguration? That's right, me! So I'm gonna need you to help me out on this one. Now that I've got this cool scar, I can tell her all about it, but we've got to make it sound cool, all right? Think you can lend me a hand?”

“Sure thing,” I answer. “I mean it already sounds pretty cool. 'This is where I let my friend shoot through me to hit the missing ninja we were fighting so he couldn't dodge.' No need to mention you were unconscious.”

“Heh. Thanks, man.” Kiba says, “I kind of feel like I was just in the way, though. You and Sasuke were just hammering him, while I just ran around keeping those mask creatures busy. Akamaru and I need to do some serious training.”

I hang out with Kiba for a while longer, then head home. I end up talking with my uncle over dinner about the mission.

“You always seem to get caught up in more trouble than you bargained for,” he says. “I guess that just happens when you're a ninja though.”

After dinner, I head upstairs and get a good night's sleep in my bed.

The next morning after breakfast, I head out. The inauguration is in an hour, so I don't need to rush.

I've decided to go to the inauguration with my teammates. I pass by Kiba's house, but he says he's going to pick up his date, and that he'll meet us there.

So I head towards the Uchiha compound. Everyone there seems to be in high spirits, it's a big day for the clan. I reach Sasuke's house to find him getting ready to leave. He's notably less excited than the rest of the Uchiha seem to be.

“Hey, Kon.” Sasuke greets. “Are you going to the inauguration right now?”

“Your clan seems pretty excited about it,” I reply. “So is something on your mind, Sasuke?”

“Heh. You never can just let things be, can you Kon?” Sasuke laughs to himself. “Yeah. With all that's been going on, I can't help but think, you know? The clan was one of the two that founded the village, and now an Uchiha is finally becoming Hokage. That's huge. Itachi is pretty much set up to be the clan's greatest hero. I had trouble enough thinking I could surpass him, but now with this deal about the Fifth training me, it's almost like giving me a handicap. Like he knows I could never reach his level on my own.”

“It's not like that,” I tell Sasuke. “You're looking at this all wrong. Itachi got some damn good teachers, too. Including the Fifth, in case you'd forgotten. He's giving you the same chances he got, that means he sees you as an equal. This is a good thing. And hey, if you don't want to train under a Sannin, I'll gladly take your place.”

“You just don't know Itachi like I do, Kon.” Sasuke sighs. “From the very beginning, he was always skilled. He fought in a war at four years old. That wasn't because someone trained him, he's just that good. But I will get the training. If that's what it takes to reach his level, I'll do it.”

The two of us leave for the inauguration. I see plenty of familiar faces here. There's the Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka clans, along with Haku. I see Tenten and Shino a ways away. In the crowd, I also see Lee, Sakura, and Sai. Even Iruka Sensei and Anko are nearby.

Soon enough, Kiba pulls up to me and Sasuke along with his date.

“Hey, guys.” Kiba greets us. “Kon, this is Tamaki. Tamaki, this is my teammate Kon. You already know Sasuke of course.”

“Hello,” Tamaki waves. “Nice to meet you, Kon.”

Kiba puts his arm around my neck. “This guy right here, let me tell you. We just got back from a mission, and we fought an S rank missing ninja! Oh yeah, this was the real deal, ain't that right, Kon?”

Sasuke just raises an eyebrow at Kiba's boast.

Me and Kiba start to describe the battle and our opponent, making sure to give plenty of focus to Kiba's exploits. I try to make it seem like I'm talking it down, and Tamaki listens intently.

“You're being ridiculous,” Sasuke speaks up. “You could barely manage a hit on him. He was way too strong for any of us.”

Kiba grits his teeth. “Yeah, that's right. I couldn't do much. I wasn't strong enough. That's why I gave Kon an opening! I grabbed him, and shouted to Kon: 'Do it! Fire your jutsu!' And he fired right through me to hit the guy. I still have the scar, too.”

“Wow,” Tamaki says, impressed. “That's pretty incredible.”

Sasuke just rolls his eyes as Kiba grins. Soon enough, the inauguration has started.

The Fifth makes a speech and symbolically hands the Hokage hat over to Itachi, who puts it on before making a speech of his own.

“I am the youngest person to ever take the office of Hokage,” Itachi starts, “At only nineteen years old. But everyone has put their faith, and their trust, in my ability. My clan, the Uchiha, have all long waited for this day, and I carry their hopes on my shoulders. I have always put the well-being of the Hidden Leaf Village foremost in my mind, and I will continue to do so. No matter what, the future of the village is my greatest priority and as long as I am the Sixth Hokage, I will work tirelessly toward the goal of making our village prosper.”

Itachi's speech goes on for a while, but once it ends, there's plenty of cheering. The crowd eventually disperses. Kiba and Tamaki head off, and Sasuke says he has things to do before taking his leave.

I'm about to head off myself when Itachi approaches me.

“Congratulations,” I tell Itachi. “Were you looking for Sasuke? He just left.”

“Actually, I wasn't,” Itachi says. “I needed to speak with you, Kon.”

Before Itachi can continue, Shizune runs up holding a bottle of pills.

“Lord Itachi, you can't leave these around!” Shizune tells him, “You need to remember to keep these on you at all times. Take two with each meal, one if you start getting symptoms. Don't forget about the transfusions either, you need to come by every two weeks, and we'll need blood samples too.”

Shizune is about to go on when Itachi stops her. “Shizune, I don't need to remember these things because you'll remind me.”

Shizune looks confused.

“You've taken care of me thus far.” Itachi goes on. “I see no reason for that to change. You'll be my aide and stay by my side to take care of me. I'll see you tomorrow morning.”

Flustered, Shizune eventually leaves, and Itachi turns back to me.

“Sorry about that,” he says. “Anyway, I want you to come to the Uchiha compound tonight, to our clan gathering, to accompany Sasuke. You are his closest friend, and I feel like he could use your support tonight when he learns the truth. Of course, it will be a secret, but I trust you.”

“I'll be there,” I tell the new Hokage.

“Thank you,” Itachi replies. “I know you likely want an explanation right now, but it has to stay secret. I'm sure you understand.”

The rest of the day sees me helping out my uncle at the restaurant. It's the holiday, so the house is packed most of the day.

As it gets late, I head for the Uchiha compound. Everyone is gathered in a huge assembly hall. I see Sasuke sitting by the wall and take a seat next to him. On the stage in front, Itachi stands by himself. It seems like every single member of the clan is in attendance.

“So why did Itachi ask you to come here?” Sasuke asks. “I thought this would just be a family gathering.”

“He said he was revealing something,” I respond. “And he said he invited me here because I was your closest friend.”

“Really?” Sasuke mutters. “What could it be?”

Once everyone settles down, Itachi addresses the clan.

“Good evening everyone,” he starts. “I know you are all excited about my inauguration today. It truly is a great day for the Uchiha Clan. Which is why I am finally freeing all of you.”

Itachi summons a crow with a strange Sharingan.

“To keep peace in the village, I cast a genjutsu upon all of you,” Itachi goes on. “To keep any unnecessary blood from being shed, I had you all push aside thoughts you had of rebellion, and serve the village faithfully. Now that I am Hokage, I hope that you can stay your hands of your own accord. I will now release the genjutsu, and your minds will once again be fully your own. Whether you decide to forgive me, is up to you.”

Itachi holds up the seal the release genjutsu as the crow points its Sharingan at the clan members.

“Kotoamatsukami: Release!”

At first, nothing seems to happen, but several Uchiha Clan members start to look around in confusion.

Itachi pulls the Sharingan out from the crow and crushes it in his hand.

I look to Sasuke, who is in shock.

“All this time, it's been a lie?” Sasuke mutters. “He's had the entire clan under his control?”

I am extremely confused myself, but I try to keep Sasuke calm.

“Hold on, Sasuke,” I tell him. “We don't have all the information, he probably had a good reason. Let's talk to him afterward. Besides, he didn't cast it on you, so he trusts you, right?”

Sasuke stops shaking and speaks again, a bit more calmly this time. “Rebellion? What is going on?”

In the crowd, some of the Uchiha are getting angry. I see Sasuke and Itachi's father shout in rage.

“How dare you, Itachi!?” Fugaku screams. “You cast a genjutsu on your own clan? I don't care if you are the Hokage! You are no different than the rest of them! You disgrace our clan!”

Some of the Uchiha join him in his opinion, but others try to talk everyone down. It seems the clan is divided.

“Make no mistake, father.” Itachi starts. “I did this for the good of both the village and the clan. But the village comes first. I have no regrets. Now that I am Hokage, you have no need to worry about the clan's stature. The Uchiha will continue to prosper, as they have these past years. You still all have the memories of that time. Surely it has given you some perspective. You have not been slighted or mistreated. You can choose to continue this peaceful coexistence, or throw it all away. If you were to do so, I can assure that the clan would not be better for it.”

The crowd calms a bit. They seem to understand the implications.

Fugaku approaches me and Sasuke.

“Well, Sasuke?” he asks. “Where do you stand? Do you support your brother's upheaval of our clan?”

Sasuke seems unable to reply. He just stands in front of his father, looking down.

“With all due respect, sir.” I interrupt. “You're asking him to choose between his father and his older brother. It's an impossible choice, and you disgrace yourself forcing it upon him.”

Fugaku looks enraged. He looks like he's about to smack me when Sasuke speaks up.

“Why does it need to be a choice?” he asks. “Are you truly so incapable of living in this village peacefully? You can't be part of it unless you're forced to? The last seven years were all a lie! That peaceful happy life is something you just can't even achieve even when it's right in front of you? The clan has no need to oppose Itachi! What's wrong with the way we've been living? If that kind of life outrages you so much, I'd rather you stayed in the genjutsu!”

Fugaku turns his attention to Sasuke. He looks like he's about to lose it, but his arm is grabbed by his wife.

“Fugaku,” she says. “Striking Sasuke won't solve anything.”

Several Uchiha try to talk the others down. There seems to be no immediate danger of a fight breaking out now, though several Uchiha still clearly seethe with anger.

Sasuke leaves the hall in a rush, while Itachi also sees himself out, and leaves the other Uchiha to their devices.

I follow Sasuke. I find him sitting out on a dock by the water, and sit down next to him.

“So that was it, huh,” Sasuke mutters. “When I was a kid, my father would always praise Itachi endlessly. I barely got the time of day. But seven years ago everything changed. He was nicer, more supportive. The whole clan just seemed like they became better people overnight. I didn't think much of it then, but it was all a lie. Their true selves were just locked away.”

“It had to be done. Itachi wanted to protect the whole village, and an Uchiha rebellion would have been a disaster for everyone.” I tell Sasuke. “But they still care about you. The family you had these last seven years was them, just without their anger. It wasn't fake. I'm sure they can change and let go of their hate. And your brother trusted you with this knowledge, so you know he cares about you. You should go talk with him.”

“Yeah,” Sasuke answers. “You're right, Kon, as usual. I guess I'm glad I'm leaving tomorrow, it'll give me time to think.”

Sasuke heads off to find Itachi, while I head home. I go upstairs and get some rest.

The next morning, I'm up bright and early to see Sasuke off. He and Jiraiya are all packed and at the village gates. Itachi, Kakashi, Kiba, and Akamaru are all there.

“Well guys, this is it,” Sasuke says. “Two years away from the village."

“Good luck,” I tell Sasuke. “And work hard. When you get back, I expect you to be able to knock that silly little hat right off your brother's head.”

“Don't forget to lighten up a bit, either,” Kiba adds. “Have some fun while you're out there in the wide world.”

“Oh, you know he will,” Jiraiya laughs as he tussles Sasuke's hair. “This kid will learn to let loose if it kills him.”

After saying our goodbyes, Sasuke and his master head off, leaving the rest of us at the gates. Itachi heads back to his office, as Kakashi addresses me and Kiba.

“Well boys, we're down a member, but we've still got missions to take care of. Let's go.”

Me and Kiba follow. Sasuke may be gone for now, but I have to see to my own growth while he's gone. Wouldn't want to fall behind.


End file.
